Mary Alice Gaston's Obituary
Mary Alice Gaston of Millington, TN was born to Jesse Clifton and Elizabeth Klenk on September 20, 1936. She passed away peacefully at age 87 on February 14, 2024 at Apple Grove Alzheimer’s Residence while receiving hospice care due to an injury. Mary Alice was a proud mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and professional and was known for her calm and loving disposition.
Mary Alice attended Millington Central High School where she played basketball and began working as a dental assistant upon graduation. After three years in the profession, she married her husband Donald Ray Gaston and moved from Tennessee in 1956 to raise her family as a devoted housewife. In 1973, the family returned to Tennessee where Mary Alice began school at the University of Tennessee, earning her Associate of Dental Hygiene (1975) and Bachelor of Dental Hygiene (1977) degrees, which catapulted her career as an innovator in the field.
In 1976, she pursued her passion for teaching and joined the faculty of the College of Dentistry in the Department of Periodontology and in 1978 joined the faculty in the Department of Dental Hygiene in the College of Allied Health Sciences at UT Memphis where she served on numerous university and college committees including the faculty senate. By the 1980s, Mary Alice had solidified her place in the field on a local and national scale by accumulating many accolades as a scholar. She was named to the Board of Trustees of the American Dental Hygiene Association (ADHA) in 1984 and held the position until 1991. From 1989-1990, she served as the president of the ADHA where she traveled the world working with others to advance the field. In 1989 she embarked on a seven-year term representing the United States on the board of directors of the International Federation of Dental Hygienists (IFDH) where she also served as the chair of the research committee beginning in 1992. In 1990, she served as the chair of the board of directors of the ADHA’s Institute for Oral Health, which provided scholarship and research grants to dental hygiene students engaged in research. In 1994-1995 she was the chair of the steering committee to organize a group for dental hygienists within the International Association for Dental Research. From 1994-1996, she served as a consultant to the World Health Organization in establishing a global network for oral health sciences education.
During her time as a faculty member, Mary Alice mentored many students who attested to her kind and empathetic approach to sharing knowledge and preparing the next generation of professional dental hygienists. Due to her dedicated service in the field, Mary Alice was recognized with several awards: The Tennessee Dental Hygienists’ Associations’ “Outstanding Dental Hygienist Award” (1984), UT Alumni Association’s Public Service Award (1994), and the Warner-Lambert/American Dental Hygienists' Association Excellence in Dental Hygiene Award (1995).
Perhaps her greatest contributions to the field focused on the topic of professional ethics beginning as a graduate student in 1981 where she received her Masters in Education from the University of Memphis. In 1992, she authored what would become the definitive code of ethics for dental hygienists in the United States, “Relationships with Dental Hygienists and Dental Assistants” in the Dental Ethics journal. She became editor of the Journal of Dental Hygiene later in her career and her scholarly works in 15 professional journals continue to influence the field today. At UT Health Sciences Center, she acted as Professor and Program Director in the Department of Dental Hygiene, and was appointed as the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs in the College of Allied Health Sciences in 1995 before retiring as an Emeritus Professor. Her professional legacy was solidified when the UT Health Science Center established the Mary Alice Gaston Dental Hygiene Scholarship Endowment.
In her personal life, Mary Alice had many hobbies including needlepoint, sewing, gardening, reading, and was an avid cook who enjoyed family gatherings. She instilled in her children the love of Jesus Christ and attended the First Baptist Church in Millington after retiring in 2003 and moving back to the area. In retirement, Mary Alice was involved in the church as an educator to women and children, was a member of the Millington Book Club, and enjoyed many reunions with classmates from high school. She is now reunited in Heaven with her parents, brother, sister, husband, and loving son.
Mary Alice Gaston was preceded in death by her parents Jesse Clifton and Elizabeth Klenk, sister Barbara Waxler, brother Jimmy Klenk, and son Jeffrey Lynn Gaston. She is survived by her daughter Julia Perkins (Barry) of Pensacola, FL, granddaughters Sarah Carmack (Robbie) of Brighton, TN, and Emilia Gaston of Millington, TN, and two great-grandsons Tyler Carmack and William Carmack.
A graveside service will be held at 2:00 on Monday, February 19, 2024, at Memorial Park Funeral Home in Memphis, TN at 5668 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN 38119.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Mary Alice Gaston Scholarship Endowment at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center by visiting http://giving.uthsc.edu/give and searching “Gaston” under “Select College, School, or Preferred Fund.” Donations may also be mailed to:
UT Foundation, 62 S. Dunlap, Ste. 500, Memphis, TN 38163
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