Honoring an AGD Icon

On July 23, 2020, AGD members lost a friend and icon of AGD with the passing of Harold “Hal” E. Donnell Jr. at 85 years old of causes incident to age. Newer AGD members have probably not heard of Hal because he retired in 2003 at age 68. Yet Hal was the longtime glue that held AGD together for 30 years as the organization’s executive director starting in 1973, before many of our members were even born.

 

My first experience with Hal was unique — I learned right away about his organizational skills. In 1983, I was asked to be the membership chair of the Utah AGD and received an invitation and scholarship, meaning airfare and accommodations, to attend a Membership Chair Conference and orientation in Chicago presented by AGD staff and leadership. I was a new dentist on a budget, having opened my own practice from scratch in August 1981. The conference was in the fall, and I arrived in Chicago in the late afternoon in time to meet many of the participants at a pre-meeting dinner at a nice seafood restaurant downtown. I had budgeted $13 for the meal, as it was a “pay for your own dinner” event, so I very carefully picked out a menu item — swordfish — that fell within my budget. However, I happened to sit at a table with some very successful AGD leader dentists, Drs. Sam Rogers from Texas and Bob Patrick from Canada. The hors d'oeuvres ordered mainly by Dr. Rogers came nonstop, and the alcoholic beverages were also flowing. Remember, this was 1983 and not funded by AGD. At the end of the meal, even though I insisted on having my own check for my portion of the dinner, I was assured by the AGD staff member in attendance that things would be divided up and there would be no problem taking care of my part of the bill since I did not partake of any of the alcoholic beverages.

 

Well, the next morning, during a break in the Membership Chair Conference, a tall, bespectacled gentleman approached me and commented, “You were at that table with Sam Rogers, weren’t you? So your share for the dinner is $42.” My eyes went wide, and I blurted out, “I did not drink any of the alcohol and had hardly any of the hors d’oeuvres! I can afford to pay $20 for my share and the tip, but that is it!” Instead of arguing with me, the man just smiled and said, “OK, I understand. I will adjust the bill for the others.” I gave him a $20 bill, and he went on his way, I presumed, to recalculate and hit up the others. When he left, I asked a staff member, “Who in the world was that coming and asking me for money?” She laughed and said, “Oh, that’s Mr. Donnell, the executive director. He is very precise about that sort of thing.”

 

That was my first encounter with Hal, but it was not my last. As I rose in the ranks of AGD, obtained my Fellowship, and became a delegate, constituent president and then a regional director, I had more encounters with Hal and began to really appreciate his leadership abilities and dedication. He was a master parliamentarian and knew how to keep the officers on point. As a Trustee from 1997 to 2003, there were several instances where I had questions or concerns, and I was always amazed by how quickly Hal would respond and how well he could answer my questions. It was obvious that he enjoyed working with us dentists. 

 

Hal’s long list of achievements began even before he reached the long apex of his career as the executive director of AGD. Born in Baltimore, he later became the first executive director of the Maryland State Dental Association and served for nine years. He earned the designation of Certified Association Executive from the American Society of Association Executives in 1973, the same year he became the executive director of AGD. During his time as executive director, he dramatically helped increase membership, grew the staff and was instrumental in encouraging the development of the National Sponsor Approval program by AGD. He also presided over the creation of the Fellowship Exam and encouraged the AGD Board and House of Delegates to make it a requirement of Fellowship in 1984, the year I took the exam in San Francisco. With his supportive wife, Rosemary, to whom he had been married for 61 years at the time of his death, he had two children and four grandchildren.

 

I could go on and on but instead will summarize this tribute to Hal by stating that the cemetery is full of people who thought they were irreplaceable, but recent history shows that Hal truly was irreplaceable. AGD has had some fine executive directors serving for far shorter periods of time since Hal retired in 2003, but none have truly replaced him.  

 

My last picture with Hal at the end of the 2003 Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, as he prepared to ride off into the sunset and retire in the warmer climes of Arizona.