DR MORRIS F GALLAGHER

1923 - 2010

Dr. Morris F. Gallagher passed away in Elko, Nevada on September 13, 2010. He was born on March 15, 1923 in San Francisco, California to Dr. Harry M. and Ruthe Gedney Gallagher. His parents were members of pioneer Nevada and California ranching, mining, and professional families and are counted in the fifth generation in Western America.

Dr. Gallagher was raised in Elko and attended local schools graduating from Elko County High School in 1941. Following his graduation he enrolled at the University of Nevada in Reno, majoring in a pre-dental course. In August of 1943, he was admitted to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, a School of Dentistry, in San Francisco, now the University of the Pacific. During his years in professional school, he was active in the Psi Omega fraternity, edited the school year book and was elected to the honor society, Tau Kappa Omega. He graduated from the school's doctoral program in 1946 with a degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery, becoming the youngest licensed dental practitioner in the State of Nevada.

Upon graduation, Dr. Gallagher returned to Elko and commenced the practice of dentistry with his father Dr. Harry M. Gallagher. In 1951, he married Mary Louise Sewell of Reno.

Dr. Gallagher's military service began while in dental school in 1943 in the Army Specialized Training Program, continuing schooling until the program was disbanded shortly before the end of World War II. During the Korean Conflict, he served in the Navy as a dental officer with the rank of Lieutenant, and was stationed at the Naval Training Center, San Diego, and later at the US Naval Air Station, Adak, Alaska and finally at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo. He was honorably discharged in 1954.

Following successful examinations, he was licensed to practice in California and Nevada. He is a Life Member of the American Dental Association; elected in 1965 as ADA Delegate for seven years and was Chairman of the ADA Credentials Committee for four years. Dr. Gallagher was President of the Nevada Dental Association in 1964-65 and chaired and co-chaired dental conventions in Elko in 1965, 1970, and 1975. During these years he remained a delegate to the state association from the northeast section. In 1955, he was appointed to the Nevada Board of Dental Examiners and served on that board under five different governors for 25 years, being president in 1979. He was a member of the Elko Chamber of Commerce and served on the Elko Rotary Club Planning Commission, Chamber of Commerce Auditorium and Convention Center Building committee, and St. Joseph's Church Building Committee. He was also President of the Elko County Little League, and Chairman of the Elko County Bicentennial Committee '75 – '78, President of the Silver Stage Players and founding member and President of the Northeastern Nevada Historical Society raising millions of dollars for the original construction and later renovation of the Northeastern Nevada Museum. Dr. Gallagher was a Fellow in the American and International College of Dentists, a member of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, and was named Dentist of the year in 1995. He served on the board of the Elko Navy League Council and coordinated efforts with the Trust for Public Land and the local Preservation Committee to protect Lamoille Canyon from commercial invasion. In May 1996 he received the Distinguished Nevadan Award from the UNR Board of Regents and in 2009, Dr. Gallagher was the recipient of the Mario Gildone Lifetime Achievement Award from the Northern Nevada Dental Society.

Dr. Gallagher was preceded in death by his parents, Harry M. and Ruthe Gallagher. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Mary Lou and his children Mollie (Stephen) Keller, Morris (Barbara) Gallagher and John (Lori) Gallagher, sister Gedney Gallagher, brother Dr. Thomas H. (Dorothy) Gallagher, and grandchildren Shannon G. Keller, Bridget B. Keller, John H. Gallagher, Patrick H. Gallagher, Connor W. Gallagher, Kate A. Gallagher, Mollie R. Gallagher and Morris W. Gallagher.

A rosary will be held at St. Joseph's Church, Elko, Nevada at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, September 20, 2010. A funeral mass will be held at St. Joseph's Church in Elko on September 21, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Burns Funeral Home, Elko, Nevada. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in memory of Dr. Gallagher to the University of the Pacific, Arthur Dugoni School of Dentistry, 2155 Webster St., San Francisco, CA, 94115,