Remembering Dr Laurence Schenk (Dentistry BDS, 1968), a past-president of the Barts and The London Dental Club and a beloved member of the Dental alumni community - an appreciation by Mr Chris Emery
Laurie commenced his Dental studies at The London Hospital, as it was named then, in October 1964. I first met Laurie at Hale End playing rugby for the Extra A’s, this was the London’s third team, and in those days The London fielded seven fifteens most weeks! The Extra A team was a particularly happy, bonded team led by our redoubtable Captain, Pete Catlin. For such a modest, gentle man, Laurie was quite a force to be reckoned with on the rugby pitch! Later when we were both promoted to the second fifteen-The Griffins, we were actually both disappointed to be leaving Pete Catlin’s cherished Extra A team!
Laurie was a serious and attentive student and hence a popular student with our teachers. In the sixties there was a really rich seam of first class and popular teachers at The London. In fact over the latter years Laurie and I had many conversations regarding our really first class teaching, by such luminaries as Ron Fearnhead, Alan Boyd, Ron Spears, Dougie Sheppard, Ted Renson and of course the one and only Malcom Jenkins. Laurie relished these conversations about the ‘Old Days’ at the London, particulary in his last couple of years when he was very poorly.
Qualifying in December 1968, Laurie did the inevitable top house jobs and then took himself off to study for a Masters degree in Restorative Dentistry at The Eastman in Rochester New York State. One of his favourite stories of those times was meeting and having a long chat with Cassius Clay aka Mohammed Ali! When Laurie returned from the USA, complete with a Masters degree he worked with another London alumnus, Barry Sheer in Weymouth Street, whilst also teaching at The Eastman in Grey’s Inn road. Barry tried to ‘keep’ him in the West End, but Laurie was keen to plough his own furrow, setting up his own private practice in Rickmansworth. For many years he was a well known dental practitioner with an enviable reputation. When he retired, finding that there was time on his hands, he and his wife and life partner, Hazel began working for Opro, taking impressions for mouthguards for International and Premiership rugby club players. Although the work was of a mundane and repetitive nature it meant however, that Laurie met and chatted with all the best rugby players in the country, he was in second heaven!
Laurie married his beloved wife, Hazel in 1972 and Katie and Warren were born in 1976 and 1977. In 1996 Laurie was our President of The London Hospital Dental Club and curated a splendid annual meeting and was a very popular President. He became ill a couple of years ago which he bore with characteristic fortitude, but eventually succumbed on the 21st of December 2021, three days short of his 50th wedding anniversary.
Written by Mr Chris Emery (Dentistry BDS, 1968), Specialist Endodontist Portsmouth