Nominate Your Fellow Dentists!
Each year, we aim to uplift the work of our members and celebrate their accomplishments. If you know a dentist that you feel is a good fit for any of the following awards, complete the Nomination forms and submit them to our committee!
Please send all forms to Executive Director Lisa Ragsdale at lragsdale93@yahoo.com by July 15th for your nomination to be considered.
The Dentist of the Year Award
The Dentist of the Year Award honors a member of the Tennessee Academy of General Dentistry (TNAGD) who exemplifies excellence in clinical practice, leadership, service, and dedication to advancing the profession of general dentistry. This award recognizes those who demonstrate integrity, compassion, and a lifelong commitment to professional growth and community betterment.
The Siegfried Gruenwald Award
The Siegfried Gruenwald Humanitarian Service Award is presented annually by the Tennessee Academy of General Dentistry (TNAGD) to honor a Tennessee dentist who has distinguished himself or herself through extraordinary and exemplary humanitarian service to the community and to the dental profession.
This award commemorates Dr. Siegfried (“Sig”) Gruenwald, a beloved Tennessee dentist whose life embodied compassion, artistry, philanthropy, and a deep dedication to his patients, his peers, and his community. Dr. Gruenwald was the first AGD Master in Tennessee, a lifelong supporter of organized dentistry, and a man whose humanity and generosity left an indelible mark on all who knew him.
The Legacy Award (Clifton Simmons Award)
The Legacy Award is given in overwhelming gratitude for exceptional and extraordinary career long contributions to the dental profession, to his/her patients, and to the public. It is given for exemplifying the highest standards of professionalism, education, advocacy, and service throughout their career.
Someone wisely said that it is more important to carve our names on hearts than tombstones. The legacy that we are talking about is not one we leave for people but in people. And the legacy that we leave is the legacy that we live. Our Clifton Simmons was such a person.
Previous Award Recipients
Dentist of the Year
1995 | Lowell Dale Blevins
1996| Donald Lamar Gary
1997 | Samuel M. Wiles
1998 | K. Michael Garrett
1999 | Cynthia E. Hodge
2000 | Phillip C. Carson, DDS, MAGD
2001 | Matthias J. Gorham Jr.
2002 | Stephen M. Sawrie, DDS, MS
2003 | Preston D. Miller Jr., DDS
2004 | Michael P. Tabor, DDS, MAGD
2005 | Randall P. Prince, DDS
2006 | Leon E. Stanislav, DDS
2007 | H. Clifton Simmons III, DDS, FAGD
2008 | William Roy Thompson, DDS, MAGD
2009 | Richard W. Dycus, DDS, MAGD
2010 | Joseph A. Britton, DDS, ABGD
2011 | James G. Avery, BS, DDS
2012 | K. “Jeannie” Beauchamp, DDS
2014 | Steven D. Thaton, DDS, MAGD
2015 | Gary McCown, DDS, MAGD
2016 | Mike W. King, DDS, MAGD
2017 | Katherine N. Hall, DDS, MAGD
2018 Anthony Martin, DMD, MAGD
2019 | Ernest DeWald, DDS, MAGD, ABGD
2019 | E. Mac Edington, DDS, MAGD, ABGD
2020 | Keith Gilmore, DDS, MAGD
2021 | Anthony Carrocia, DDS, MAGD, ABGD
2023 | Gary Woodall, DDS, MAGD
2024 | George Chip Clayton, DDS, FACP
Sigfried Gruenwald Award
1999 | Tom Underwood
2006 | Duncan McInnis
2007 | Rhonda Switzer-Nadasdi
2009 | Walter Chitwood
2011 | Scott Self
2012 | Kim Pace
2015 | Nathan Willis
2016 | Allen Burleson
2017 | Kathy Hall
2019 | Tim Williams
2020 | Mike Garrett
2023 | Roy Thompson
Legacy Award (Clifton Simmons Award)
2019 | Clifton Simmons (posthumously)
2021 | Leon Stanislav