| Former School of Dentistry student has dedicated his career to sharing his ‘love for teaching’ |
| Bridget McQuillan Reporter | April 20, 2010 |
W. Thomas Cavel, a teacher at the School of Dentistry, is receiving the Alumni Merit Award during the school’s reunion weekend.
Cavel has been a teacher at Creighton’s School of Dentistry for over 38 years. After serving in the U.S. Army as a dental officer for two years, he was offered a job in 1972 as a professor at Creighton.
Today, Cavel serves as the inaugural inductee of the Raymond W. Shaddy Endowed Chair in Operative Dentistry and holds a private practice in Omaha with Drs. Dave and Mike Hoover, both Creighton School of Dentistry graduates.
The Alumni Merit Award is awarded to one alumna or alumnus from each college or school every year. In order to receive the award, the recipient must be a graduate of Creighton University, must have “provided distinguished service to the university,” and possess “a personal quality that marks him/her as cultured and of high moral principles guided by the Jesuit ideals of being men and women for others.”
Cavel views the award as an important honor.
“It is for dentists who have exemplified what Creighton means. Whoever gets it is, I think, pretty lucky,” he said. “To me, it’s a wonderful recognition of my life’s work and I think almost anyone here in this school is just as deserving. People here work very hard and love what they do.”
Bill Naughton, a former student of Cavel’s who has been working with him for 10 years, said that Cavel is worthy of the award.
“I think he was deserving a long time ago. He has given his whole life to this institution and its students,” he said.
Cavel’s devotion to the School of Dentistry is rooted in his love for teaching students and helping patients.
“I can’t imagine not teaching. It’s fun to watch the students matriculate and mature from freshman to senior year,” he said.
He enjoys watching students help patients and realize how rewarding the dental profession can be.
“The gratification is almost instant. It’s something hard to explain, but it’s there,” Cavel said. “You can see your work right away.”
“He is their first encounter with a dentist,” Naughton said. “On the second day, they find out about the meticulous nature of dentistry, and when he draws a tooth on the board, they see a blend of art and science.”
When it comes to devoting so much of his time to Creighton’s Dental School, Cavel doesn’t think twice because of his respect for it.
“I think Creighton has a great reputation as a dental school,” he said. “It is a great place to work; the camaraderie amongst faculty is exceptional.”
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