When asked about the legacy they’d like to leave behind, the Adams School of Dentistry Dental Surgery Class of 2019 rallied behind funding a scholarship honoring R. Scott Eidson ’78 (DDS). Eidson, then a member of the faculty, worked closely with the 2019 graduates in the clinics, as their Council of Interstate Testing Agencies exam representative and as an adviser to the class executive board.
Members of the Class of 2019 worked with the Dental Foundation of North Carolina to establish the DDS Class of 2019 Dr. R. Scott Eidson Real MVP Scholarship. One class member, Sarah Myers ’19 (DDS), was asked about Eidson’s impact on her class and experience at the dentistry school.
“To our class, he wasn’t just a professor, he was a mentor, a guide and a steady source of wisdom,” Myers said. “He was always approachable, endlessly kind and generous with his knowledge. He taught us not just dentistry, but how to take care of our patients with respect and humility.”
Eidson describes the relationship between the class and himself as mutually supportive. “During one of the most difficult times in my life, which came during one of their key periods of preparing for graduation, I found out I had cancer,” Eidson said. “The Class of 2019 was so meaningful in helping me get through the difficult treatments and the time I had to spend away from UNC. They were always emailing me, texting me and sending me news of what their class was doing in the last months before they finished.”
“It had already been a special class who worked tirelessly to improve the school and were always supporting each other. They were all friends. I was honored and grateful when they contacted me at the end of my treatments to let me know they included my name in their class gift to the school for 2019. I will always be in debt to them for their support that spring, and it was an honor to know and work with each one of them for that year. They are all special to me.”
More than 80% of the 2019 class made a gift or signed a pledge supporting the scholarship. Additional contributions were made by faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the dentistry school. The generosity of those who have contributed has already impacted dentistry students.
Joe Fortkort ’25 (DDS) was the first recipient of the scholarship during the 2024-25 academic year. “Receiving the DDS Class of 2019 Dr. R. Scott Eidson Real MVP Scholarship has been a powerful motivator, especially during moments of self-doubt. Knowing that someone is invested in my future gives me the drive to keep pushing forward — and inspires me to one day give back and support the next generation of students,” Fortkort said.
The mark left by an Adams School of Dentistry education has led to other DDS classes electing to fund endowments as well. Their generosity ranges from the support of student programming (DDS Class of 2022) to faculty awards for scholarship in research (DDS Class of 1958).
To support the DDS Class of 2019 Dr. R. Scott Eidson Real MVP Scholarship, please call the Dental Foundation of North Carolina at 919-537-3257.