Dr. James Thomas Rule Jr.

Dr. James Thomas Rule, Jr., beloved husband of Joanne Rule; beloved father of Timothy C. Rule and Cecile F. Rule. Dr. Rule was born in Woodberry, NJ, and grew up in Paulsboro, NJ. He completed his Bachelor’s degree and later his Doctorate in Dental Sciences from Temple University. He completed his residency at St. Christopher’s Hospital in Philadelphia. He went on to complete a degree in Anatomy at the University of Chicago, and, following that, a two-year residency in Pedodontics at La Rabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago, where he met his wife, Joanne. Dr. Rule went into teaching rather than practice, and was a profound inspiration for many students through his distinguished career. He taught Pediatric Dentistry at the Oregon College of Health Sciences from 1960 – 1967; at Ohio State University from 1967 – 1972; and at the University of Connecticut Health Center from 1972 – 1978, where he developed a curriculum in Pedodontics and helped establish that discipline as a Department at the University. He then served as Chairman of Pediatric Dentistry at University of Maryland College of Dental Surgery from 1978 through 1999. Throughout his career and indeed his lifetime, Dr. Rule was always concerned with helping those of lesser means and ensuring both personal and professional integrity. He worked to ensure that practicing dentists in Maryland accept pediatric Medicaid patients. Both during his career and in retirement, he collaborated with Maryland, other Universities, and the private sector to ensure that underserved populations would receive dental care during and after the course of clinical studies and trials, including those in the United States and abroad, most recently in Guatemala. This ongoing work provided dental care to children who otherwise would have had none. Dr. Rule’s volunteer work included two trips to the Marshall Islands, to provide free dental care to residents displaced by nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific. He used his sabbatical time to take courses in medical ethics, and worked to establish Dental Ethics as a discipline and to integrate it fully within dentistry as a whole. He has co-authored numerous papers and two books on the subject of Dental Ethics. Dr. Rule co-edited the Dental Ethics Section in the Journal of the American College of Dentists, and was Senior Visiting Fellow at Creighton University’s Center for Health Policy and Ethics in 2003. Thanks to Dr. Rule’s work, the University Of Maryland College Of Dental Surgery has established a Code of Dental Ethics that is a fundamental component in the overall curriculum. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. at Christ Episcopal Church, 111 S. Harrison St., Easton, MD 21601. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Doctors Without Borders (www.doctorswithoutborders.org) or The Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org) Arrangements are being handled by Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home, P.A., 200 S. Harrison St. Easton, MD.

Dr. James Thomas Rule Jr.

January 4, 1934 - May 9, 2013