The American Dental Association on Oct. 25 presented a presidential citation honoring Charles Hurlburt, D.D.S., a retired radiology professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry who died in the Oklahoma City bombing 30 years ago.
Then-ADA President Brett Kessler, D.D.S., presented the citation during the ADA House of Delegates in Washington, D.C., and praised Dr. Hurlburt’s lifelong commitment to teaching, patient care and community service. “His legacy lives on through the students he mentored, the patients he cared for and the colleagues he inspired,” Dr. Kessler said.
The citation was given to the Oklahoma Dental Association and the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. Oklahoma Dental Association President Twana Duncan, D.D.S., accepted plaques on behalf of the association and the dental school; a third plaque will be delivered to the Hurlburt family later.
ADA Vice President Tamara S. Berg, D.D.S., joined Dr. Kessler at the presentation. As a dental student in 1995, Dr. Berg took part in forensic dental identification after the April 19 bombing. Her class collected dental records from local offices and volunteers used those records to help identify victims at the morgue.
“Those days and weeks shaped how I see the responsibility we carry — not just to care for the living, but to honor those we’ve lost,” Dr. Berg said, noting that the effort included identifying Dr. Hurlburt and his wife, Jean.
Dr. Hurlburt and his wife were at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building to follow up on Social Security paperwork when the bombing occurred. They left behind four daughters — Barbie (Ronnie Trent), Sherry (Kent Elliott), Dawn (Jonathon Barber) and Betty (Michael Palmer) — and nine grandchildren.
Bryan Chrz, D.D.S., who helped establish the dental identification section of the bombing response, remembered Dr. Hurlburt as a generous mentor. “His office door was always open for questions about radiology and diagnostic techniques,” Dr. Chrz said. He credited Dr. Hurlburt with expanding students’ radiology skills and emphasizing safety for both clinicians and patients.
After the Hurlburts were identified, dental personnel involved in recovery observed a moment of silence for their fallen colleague and his wife, Dr. Chrz said. The identification work ultimately helped confirm 168 victims of the attack.