Vale Dr. Herb Hammer - tireless achiever for the dental profession

Vale Dr. Herb Hammer - 25th March 1924 to 4th July 2022

Dr Herbert Irving Hammer was born in Chicago, USA on 25th March 1924 to a Canadian father of Norwegian descent and an American mother who had a small farm not far from Chicago.

Growing up during the great Depression of the 1930s life was tough and Herb told of how he would help at the local church to compile hampers to give to the poor folk in the neighbourhood, and one day he was surprised to find one of these hampers on their doorstep – heck! thought Herb, we must be poor too. 

An article published in 2019 in ‘Field and Game’ recalled Herb describing his family as being ‘dirt poor’ and how he honed his hunting skills with a .22 rifle when charged to help feed the family by bringing home 10 rabbits or squirrels with every 10 bullets his father gave him. His marksmanship was held in great regard, and he was still regularly utilising those skills three years ago hunting at the age of 95! 

 In 1941 aged 17 with the entry of the USA into WW2 - ‘he sold his car and travelled to Virginia to become a Marine’.

He trained to be a pilot, flying the famed Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber and saw service until 1946 in the Pacific and over Manchuria. He joined an elite group of pilots but spoke little about the many fellow marines who never returned; he did say that his claim to fame was that despite the many sorties he flew his plane was never holed, and he suffered no physical injury. However, his nightmares even 50 years later testify to the stresses and terrors he experienced that left deep scars. 

It was 80 years ago last month that the US victory at the Battle of Midway turned the tide of World War II in the Pacific. A recent (June 2022) Time Magazine article has recalled the victory and states that ‘…above all it was the achievement of a small number of highly skilled dive-bomber pilots and their plane, the Douglas Dauntless. It was they who set the four Japanese carriers ablaze.’

After the war Herb settled on dentistry as a career, encouraged by the offer to returned service men of a free University course. He gained his DDS from Northwestern University in 1951, and whilst in practice in Chicago he served as President of the South Suburban Branch, of the Chicago Dental Society and as an organiser of their Mid-Winter Meetings until 1964. He continued his military connection as an Ensign in the Naval reserve until 1960.

He married Suzanne, and had three children, Lisa, Amy (dec) and Neil.
 
Moving to Australia

It is recorded that in the early 1960s he paid $10 for a Chicago University search to find five countries that were English speaking, needed dentists, had good hunting and fishing, a stable government and a reasonable climate. The decision to leave Chicago, Herb would have us believe, was related to the loss of his favourite local hunting venue due to it being drained and developed.  From the search, New Zealand managed an honourable mention, but those of us from overseas who have done a similar exercise will tell you the outcome could only be Tasmania!

Herb knew Geoff Hurburgh was practicing in Hobart as they were students together at Northwestern Dental School, so Herb travelled to Australia, met with him at a congress in Brisbane in the 1960s, and ‘on a handshake’ joined him in his practice in New Town, Hobart. They then worked together for over 30 years!  (Tasmanians will know that the Hurburgh brothers, Geoff and Cliff, require another book to be written!)

Herb quickly gained a reputation for providing 1st class dentistry, and his patient, pleasant manner won many very loyal followers (patients). He was instrumental in the introduction of modern General Practice endodontics in Tasmania and brought other skills from his training at Northwestern University which was then at the forefront of modern dentistry. 

He made his home in Sandy Bay, and it is there with Suzanne he hosted many dental meetings and housed his awesome collection of Penfolds Grange Hermitage which he described as tasting awful! His collection also included wine from the 1910 British Antarctic expedition (Scott’s ill-fated one) that he certainly never drank; perhaps this all relates to his being a teetotaller with a well-documented penchant for black coffee and many bottles of ‘Bitter Lemon’ soft drink!

He also had a fine collection of the equipment necessary for his lifelong pursuit of hunting and fishing, and he developed enviable skills in dropping a ‘dry fly’ just in front of large trout and using his shooting skills to the detriment of game around the globe. He also prized his genuine Samurai sword - but mainly he said for ‘the look on the face’ of the Japanese officer from whom it was “liberated” at the end of the war.

In his professional life he was a staunch supporter of our profession clinically and politically and became deeply involved with the Australian Dental Association at State and Federal levels. Herb attended most dental conferences and at each made a point of checking the undergraduate research projects, complimenting the presenters and impressing upon them in his glorious American accent "You know, you guys are the future of the profession” and encouraging them to keep up their good work and interests. 

His persistent good humour, ‘sense of humour’ and optimism is remembered in numerous stories from his frequent trips to meetings around Australia and overseas. A particularly enjoyable story was hearing how at a congress in Perth he impressed the audience by firing a pair of handguns (blanks only) on stage - attention guaranteed!
 
Professional service

 He joined the ADA Tasmanian Branch serving as Branch Secretary from 1971-74 and President from 1976-78. In 1982-1983 he again took on the role of Secretary and then Treasurer until 1990. During these years he also took on positions on the Dental Care Review Committee 1973-74, Newsletter Editor 1974-75, Biohazards/Infection Control Chairman 1989-90, Peer Review Committee 1980-90, and sat as a member of the Dental Mechanics Registration Board 1984-1990.

He became a Federal ADA Councillor in 1984, and served as an Executive Officer 1990-92, Treasurer 1992-94, Vice President 1994-96, and became Federal President from 1996 to 1998.

During these years, he also was a member of the Education Committee 1984-96 (Chairman 1990-92), Legislation Committee Chairman 1988-90 and 1996, and Chairman of the Organising Committee, Hobart Convention 1976- 1980. Additionally, he was elected as a member of the international dental fraternity Delta Sigma Delta.

Dr Hammer was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the Australian Dental Association, both Federal and Tasmanian.

He maintained his North American connection with the Australian-American Association, Tasmanian Branch and was President 1976-1978, and finally he joined the Tasmanian Field and Game Association which he chaired from 1984-1986.
 
Retirement

Retirement from his practice in New Town did nothing to slow his pace, and he continued to meet with his fellow hunters and fishers at least biennially in New Zealand and was accompanied on some trips by Tasmanian local sportsmen on journeys to fly into the hunting grounds in light aircraft. When his ankles finally ‘gave -up’ the expedition organiser produced a modified office chair which could be securely anchored to allow him to continue to shoot – and still fill his bag!

A while after his wife Suzanne died he married Jane, a widow and friend for many years and a fellow undergraduate at Northwestern. They enjoyed a wonderful partnership until recent times, both of them attending local ADA meetings together as Herb continued his extraordinary life of service to his fellows, family and colleagues. 

Finally, it was the US Marine Corps with Herb’s family present who had the last words.

Herb was beginning to go “down hill” in a home following a fall, and a visit from the senior officer of the US Marines in Canberra was organised, followed by a letter of encouragement from General David  Berger, Commandant of the US Marine Corps.

When the letter arrived it was read to Herb by his son, and he visibly brightened and read the letter himself murmuring “My My My”. He was delighted and died peacefully five hours later.

Semper Fidelis Marine