2017 Outstanding Alumnus Award Winner
As a child, Dr. Carl Sebelius, Jr. always wanted to know how things worked and dreamed of becoming a scientist. He was inspired to pursue a career in dentistry by his father and grandfather. Carl Sebelius, Jr., DDS, is the third ‘Carl Sebelius’ in his family to carry ‘DDS’ behind his name.
Dr. Sebelius attended undergraduate at Vanderbilt University, graduating in 1961. He received his dental degree from UTHSC in 1964 and completed his internship and residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery at UTHSC in 1967.
His career spans nearly 50 years and could begin with the opening line, “A funny thing happened on the way to private practice in middle Tennessee…”. Following completion of his residency, Dr. Sebelius received an invitation for a one-year faculty appointment in the COD from Dr. L.C. Templeton. He agreed to postpone his original plan and, in 1968, opted to join the UTHSC COD as assistant professor in the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery.
He never left Memphis. The one-year appointment turned into a career in academia with UTHSC. Dr. Sebelius worked his way from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor and in 1981, Professor. In 2006 he was named Professor Emeritus and retired from the UTHSC faculty in 2009.
Dr. Sebelius’ dedication to the college and his students is clearly seen by his UTHSC faculty involvement. He served on the COD Faculty Senate, was chairman of the Committee of Faculty, and served on the Administrative Council, to name but a few. In total, he served on 18 different COD committees.
In addition to his faculty responsibilities, Dr. Sebelius maintained a robust private dental practice from 1968 to 1985, and from 1985 to 2000 was a practitioner with the University Dental Practice group.
He also served on the staff of Baptist Memorial Hospital as chairman of the Department of Dentistry from 1990 to 1996 and was courtesy staff with LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center and Methodist Healthcare until his 2009 retirement.
Throughout his career, Dr. Sebelius has been highly engaged in the field of dentistry and has served as president of virtually every organization of which he is a member, including: the Memphis Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons; the Memphis Dental Society; Tennessee Dental Association; Omicron Kappa Upsilon, Psi Chapter; Xi Psi Phi Fraternity; and the American Dental Interfraternity Council. He has also served as a Regent for the American College of Dentists and currently serves Xi Psi Phi Fraternity as the editor of its twice-yearly international magazine, a position he has held for 10 years.
Dr. Sebelius has additionally served in leadership positions for the American Dental Association, the Tennessee Board of Dentistry and the Regional Medical Center at Memphis (now Regional One).
His dedication to his field has not gone unrecognized and Dr. Sebelius he has received numerous awards in his career, including: the Richard Doggett Dean and Marguerite Taylor Dean Honorary Odonatological Society International College of Dentistry Award in 1964; the Tennessee Dental Association Fellowship Award in 1992; the American College of Dentists Fellowship Award in 1994; Who’s Who in Dentistry in 1995 and 1996; the Alumni Distinguished Service Award from the UT Alumni Association in 1998; the Hamilton Young Award from Xi Psi Phi in 1999; Induction in the International College of Dentists in 2007; and the Memphis Dental Society Humanitarian Award in 2009.
With his tireless dedication to the field of dentistry, one would think Dr. Sebelius had no time for outside hobbies. Of the many things he has accomplished in his lifetime, Dr. Sebelius says that people are surprised to learn he was an Eagle Scout, worked as a disc jockey while at Vanderbilt University, was a ham radio operator, and served as president of the Memphis Bass Fishing Club. He remains an avid boat enthusiast and has held offices locally and nationally in the United States Power Squadrons®, a boating safety and education organization.
In his retirement, Dr. Sebelius remains very active as he travels extensively for organized dentistry meetings as well as for personal enjoyment. He and his wife, Judy, have two grown daughters and several grandchildren.
View Past Dentistry Award Winners
