ADA presidential citation honors dentist killed in Oklahoma City bombing
2025 marks 30th anniversary of attack
The American Dental Association has awarded a presidential citation in memory of Charles Hurlburt, D.D.S., a retired professor of radiology at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry who died in the Oklahoma City bombing 30 years ago.
“Dr. Hurlburt’s legacy lives on through the students he mentored, the patients he cared for and the colleagues he inspired,” then-ADA President Brett Kessler, D.D.S., said during the citation presentation Oct. 25 at the ADA House of Delegates in Washington, D.C. “His lifelong commitment to teaching, to caring and to community is a reminder of why we do what we do — to make a lasting difference in the lives of others.”
In recognition of Dr. Hurlburt’s dedication and legacy, Dr. Kessler presented the presidential citation to the Oklahoma Dental Association, University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry and Hurlburt family. Oklahoma Dental Association President Twana Duncan, D.D.S., accepted plaques on behalf of the association and dental school, and a third plaque will be given to the Hurlburt family at a later time.
Dr. Kessler was joined at the presentation by ADA Vice President Tamara S. Berg, D.D.S., who helped in identification efforts as a student at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. In the aftermath of the bombing on April 19, 1995, Oklahoma dentists worked 12-hour days for more than two weeks to help identify the 168 victims.
At the time, Dr. Berg was enrolled in an elective course in forensic dentistry. Her class reached out to local dental offices to collect the records of those reported missing, and she was among the dental professionals who volunteered to use the records to help identify victims at the morgue.
“Those days and weeks shaped how I see the responsibility we carry — not just to care for the living, but to honor those we've lost,” Dr. Berg said. “And that includes one of our own — Dr. Charles Hurlburt, and his wife, Jean. Their loss is deeply felt by all who knew them and by generations of students and colleagues who were shaped by Dr. Hurlburt’s mentorship and devotion to the profession.”
Dr. Hurlburt and his wife had gone to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building to follow up on paperwork at the Social Security Administration office when the bombing occurred. At the time of their deaths, the Hurlburts had four daughters and sons-in-law: Barbie and Ronnie Trent, Sherry and Kent Elliott, Dawn and Jonathon Barber, and Betty and Michael Palmer, as well as nine grandchildren.
Bryan Chrz, D.D.S., who helped to establish and run the dental identification section of the bombing response, knew Dr. Hurlburt from his days as a student at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. At the time of the bombing, Dr. Chrz owned a private practice in Perry, Oklahoma, and worked as a part-time assistant professor in operative dentistry at the dental school.
“Dr. Hurlburt was a quiet and kind individual whose office door was always open for the questions we had about the science of radiology and the techniques required for diagnostic radiographs,” Dr. Chrz said. “He personally helped me with several projects that expanded my knowledge of radiology and allowed me, as a dental professional, to provide the best possible services to my patients. Safety was always his concern, and he impressed that upon his students for their well-being and that of their patients.”
After the Hurlburts were identified, all the dental personnel helping with recovery efforts observed a moment of silence for their fallen colleague and his wife.
“We all knew we would miss him and felt the loss so many other Oklahomans were feeling at this time,” Dr. Chrz said.
