Dr. Paul Andrews pledged a $5 million estate gift to the Marquette University School of Dentistry during an event over the weekend honoring the school’s longtime dean William Lobb.
The gift will focus on scholarships for veterans and their families and is the largest in the dentistry school’s history.
Andrews, a 1974 graduate of the dentistry school, said the gift was inspired by his godson, Jefferson, who wanted to attend dental school but died while deployed in Afghanistan.
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Originally from Elkhorn, Andrews flew in from Orlando for the event honoring Lobb. He severed in the Navy for six years during the Vietnam War before coming to Marquette. He said that the university made him into the person he is today and that he owes all that he achieved in his professional career to Marquette’s dental school.
“The first time I walked through those doors, I was scared to death,” he said. “When we first walked out of those doors, they opened up to the world. And, we walked out as dentists ready to take it on, because we were taught how to take it on.”
The event celebrated Lobb’s 20th anniversary as the school’s dean. His tenure has included two capital campaigns, including a $16 million, 40,000-square-foot expansion to add clinical, lab and classroom space.
Lobb said he didn’t want an event honoring him and that the focus should be on the school’s future. The event included a $50,000 gift from an alumni family to start a scholarship in Lobb’s name.
“I have never believed that what we’ve accomplished here at the Dental School is about me as an individual,” Lobb said. “It is all about the collective work of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the people who we serve that contribute to the progressive nature and culture of the dental school.”
