Missing Photo: The Quartano Family Link

Walk down the second floor hallway in the LSUSD clinic building, headed towards the breezeway, and turn right. Lining the walls of the corridor and inside the adjacent Copping conference room is a treasure trove of graduation composite photographs representing the rich history of dentistry in Louisiana.

There are 41 class photos from the Loyola School of Dentistry. Joanne Courville, director of alumni affairs for LSUSD, initiated the photo display. "Loyola University was gracious enough to pass on these photos," she said. "Knowing our past gives us strength and insight into what dentistry is today." The Loyola photos begin with the Class of 1917, with nine students and the first dean, Dr. C. Victor Vignes.

Dental education started in Louisiana with the founding of the New Orleans Dental College in 1861. The school closed during the Civil War and reopened from 1868 until 1877. The next dental school was the New Orleans College of Dentistry, which graduated its first class in 1900. The building on Carondelet Street burned in 1908, at which point the school became permanently affiliated with Tulane University, which operated the school until 1928. Notable during this era was the increase in the dental curriculum from three to four years and requirement of a pre-dental year for admission.

From 1914 to 1928, both Tulane University and Loyola University operated dental schools. The Loyola University School of Dentistry was established in 1914 and closed in 1971. Loyola University was not able to finance a separate dental school building, which was required for ongoing academic accreditation. A phase-out of the school was announced in 1966. At the same time, Governor John McKeithen signed a bill establishing the LSUSD.

Twenty-nine members of the Loyola faculty became the core of the LSUSD faculty. Dr. Edmund E. Jeansonne, dean of the Loyola school, became the first dean of LSUSD. The school's clinic building, which houses the photo archive, is named in his memory.

Quartano Family

Fourteen class photos are still missing, including the class of Febuary 1945. "We didn't know we were missing this photo because we didn't realize there were two graduations that year," Courville said. During World War II there was great pressure on dental schools throughout the United States to educate more dentists to care for the military. Throughout the war years, Loyola graduated two classes.

Dr. George Quartano, center, with his grandsons, Ross (left) and Adam.

The missing photo came to light because of Dr. George M. Quartano, a graduate of the February 1945 class. During Alumni Day, a framed photo of the class was unveiled. Dr. Quartano and his two grandsons, Dr. Ross Quartano, a 2008 graduate of LSUSD now practicing in Mandeville, and Adam Quartano, a third-year dental student, helped with the unveiling.

According to Courville, the missing class photos are for the years:  1921, 1924, 1927, 1932, 1934, 1947, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969.