The American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) recently awarded James J. Baldwin, DDS, MSD, and Jerome H. Sklaroff, DDS, MS, the O.B. Vaughan Special Recognition Award. The award is named in honor of Dr O.B. Vaughan, an ABO past president. The ABO established this award to acknowledge those who have made significant contributions to orthodontic education and furthered the ideals of the ABO.
Baldwin retired from 58 years of continuous service as a part-time professor of orthodontics and member of the graduate faculty at the Indiana University School of Dentistry in 2014. He also held a part-time appointment at the University of Illinois-Chicago School of Dentistry. In addition, Baldwin served as a referee for the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics and The Angle Orthodontist.
“I am moved that the ABO even considered me for this wonderful award,” Baldwin said. “I am particularly pleased to receive the O.B. Vaughan Award because I know Dr Vaughan personally and have a very high regard for him. It is nice to be remembered with this honor.”
Baldwin has received many prestigious awards, starting with his membership in the Phi Beta Kappa Society. More recently, he was awarded life membership in the Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society and was selected as the Honor Dentist of the Indianapolis District Dental Society. In May 2000, the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation presented Baldwin with the Louise Ada Jarabak Memorial International Teachers and Research Award. Baldwin also received the Dale B. Wade Award for Excellence in Orthodontics from the ABO in 2006. He has been a diplomate of the ABO since 1966.
In the mid-1950s, Baldwin introduced Dr Charles Burstone to the physical principles of statics and equilibrium. From this foundation, they jointly derived the original principles for orthodontic biomechanics, which were presented to the Angle Midwest Component of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists in 1960. Recent publications and textbook chapters include “Pre-Prosthetic Alignment of a Compensated Class in Malocclusion in a Partially Edentulous Adult,” Case Studies in Orthodontics 2000; “Adjunctive Orthodontic Therapy: Biological, Mechanical and Treatment Considerations,” Textbook of Orthodontics, SE Bishara 2001; and “Corrections of Partially Edentulous Malocclusions: Facial Esthetics and Vertical Dimension of Occlusion,” Frontiers of Dental Oral Facial Esthetics, JA McNamara 2001.
Baldwin earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from DePauw University in 1947 and his master’s degree in physics from Yale University in 1948. In 1954, Baldwin earned his DDS from the University of Indiana. In 1960, he completed his master’s degree and certificate in orthodontics at the University of Indiana.
“Dr Baldwin has contributed greatly to the specialty of orthodontics, both through teaching and his research,” said Valmy Kulbersh, DDS, MS, an ABO director. “He has left an indelible mark, and the ABO thanks him for his efforts to further the specialty.”
Sklaroff has been both a practicing orthodontist in his native Philadelphia and a teacher who has inspired students for 64 years. He attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated from Temple University School of Dentistry. He received his master’s degree in orthodontics from the University of Michigan.
“I am honored to receive the O.B. Vaughan Award,” Sklaroff said. “Like me, Dr Vaughan is mainly a clinician, but he also is a teacher. For 50 years I practiced orthodontics at my office and taught for 64 years at the University of Pennsylvania. I thank the ABO for this illustrious recognition of my efforts.”
Sklaroff, who has been a member of the American Association of Orthodontists since 1951, joined the graduate orthodontic faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in 1952. At that time, he was 30 years old, making him the youngest member of the faculty. An adjunct professor since 1990, Sklaroff has lectured undergraduates, conducted seminars for graduate students, and held continuing-education courses for dentists and orthodontists. At 92, he is now the oldest member of the faculty and currently conducts three graduate seminars weekly.
Sklaroff is also a World War II veteran and served as a captain in the US Army Dental Corps.
“Dr Sklaroff has dedicated himself to teaching orthodontic residents clinically and didactically at the University of Pennsylvania for 64 years,” said Chun-Hsi Chung, DMD, MS, an ABO director. “He has touched more than 550 orthodontists’ lives directly and inspired many others indirectly. Dr Sklaroff was ABO certified in 1967 and has demonstrated his excellence in orthodontics. His contribution to orthodontics is enormous.”
