Remembering the passing of two retired Angle Southern California members: Dr. John Gawley (May 2019) and Dr. Donald Tuverson (January 2023)

John Gawley and Donald Tuverson met as classmates in southern California, taking science classes in the city of Pasadena’s John Muir College around 1950. However, it was at the USC School of Dentistry that these old friends reunited, graduating in the orthodontic Class of 1962.

We all remember Dr. Edward H. Angle for being the father of modern orthodontics by inventing and teaching the edgewise appliance. We also all recognize the orthodontic company, Unitek (now 3M/Unitek), named after the Universal appliance invented by Dr. Spencer Atkinson, a Pasadena Angle School graduate. Dr. Robert Gawley (John’s father) taught the Universal Technique for Dr. Atkinson, chairman at USC in the 1940s and 1950s. Dr. John Gawley preceptored in his dad’s office using the Universal technique before taking an edgewise residency program when the USC Orthodontic Department reopened under Drs. Steiner, Dougherty, and Tanaka.

After graduating, Dr. Gawley practiced in Alhambra, California, with his father for many decades. When he became a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, he may have been the one and only candidate who treated the upper arch Edgewise and lower arch Universal. Interestingly, when he then wanted to join the Angle Society, he was told “they” would never let him in, since he was using the Universal appliance. John was very humble and was never one to argue over anything. So, he waited and taught edgewise at USC for more than 20 years. When, eventually, the orthodontic “political climate” changed, he successfully submitted his combination Edgewise/Universal cases for Angle membership and presented lectures on orthodontic history and unique treatment designs, rising to become the Program Chair in Angle Southern California before retiring. Dr. Gawley was always generous with his charitable contributions and both USC Orthodontics and the Angle Society were greatly benefited. When he passed, Dr. Gawley’s contribution pushed the Angle Heritage Campaign past its initial fundraising goal and, due to his careful estate plan, continues to support annually the things he devoted himself to in his professional and personal life.

Dr. Tuverson’s career took a much more publicly recognized pathway. Upon graduating, he started an orthodontic practice in Pasadena, California. Along with his practice success, he completed his American Board of Orthodontics certification, joined all the right societies, including the Angle Society, Tweed Society, American Academy of Dentists, Pierre Fauchard, OKU, and many more. He taught at USC and, as a respected alumnus, promoted fundraising for the orthodontic department to the point that they honored him by naming the predoctoral orthodontic clinic after him in the 1980s. Dr. Tuverson also became a much-sought-after orthodontic lecturer locally, nationally, and internationally. Although it was not his only published article, he will be most remembered for his classic 1970 AJO paper on canine substitution, reshaping canines and closing the spaces of congenitally missing, extracted, peg, or damaged lateral incisors. He also lectured on adult orthodontics before it became popular, and was known for his excellence and attention to all the little details of finishing. In the Angle Society, he rose to become President of the Southern California Component, but also served for years as the component Executive Secretary and, later, as Director to the National Angle Society, eventually hosting the 2001 Angle Biennial in Hawaii as President just three weeks after 9/11. He was honored in 1995 by the PCSO as “Man of the Year” for his very significant lifelong contributions to orthodontics. When asked to lecture, he respectfully shared the stage with a who’s who list of the orthodontists of his generation, but he appreciated most his friendships with Björn Zachrisson, Tom Mulligan, and Wick Alexander.

Both Dr. Gawley and Dr. Tuverson retired from orthodontics in their 70s but continued to contribute as mentors and teachers of orthodontics. Though as a profession we have missed them for several decades, they will be remembered for their contributions in establishing and promoting excellence in orthodontics.