A tough goodbye

Dr. Bill Binnie spent 27 years serving the college, but the impact of his engaging presence and love for his profession and students will last far longer. Binnie, a Regents Professor emeritus and member of the college’s Hall of Fame, passed away Aug. 17.

The Glasgow, Scotland, native came to the dental school in 1979. In retirement Binnie and his wife, Cheryl, returned home to run a bed and breakfast in St. Andrews, but he kept Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry close to heart, returning to Dallas often.

While at TAMBCD, Binnie served as professor and chair of oral pathology and oversaw the transition to the Department of Diagnostic Sciences, merging oral pathology, oral and maxillofacial radiology and the Oral Diagnosis Clinic. His efforts extended beyond the college to the Texas A&M Health Science Center, which he served as interim vice president of academic affairs from 2000 to 2003, eventually retiring as vice president in 2006. His contributions to oral pathology included extensive lectures and authoring textbooks and myriad articles in peer-reviewed journals.

During convocation on Jan. 20, 2012, Binnie was inducted into the dental school’s Hall of Fame — a bright spot in TAMBCD’s history for the man who devoted his life to education and the dental profession.

Read more about Binnie’s views on academics and the rewarding pace of life during retirement in the Baylor Dental Record Online. 

—Jenny Fuentes