Winifred Anthony Hembry, First African-American Dentist In West Dallas, 84

[DGH]

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Dr. Hembry, the first African-American dentist in West Dallas, died
October 3, 2002, of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou
Gehrig's disease, at Grace Presbyterian Village in Dallas, Texas, at the
age of 84.

During more than 30 years of practice in West Dallas, Winifred Anthony
Hembry often gave his clients credit or allowed them to trade goods –
including fish – for dental care. No one was turned away.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Cedar Crest CME Cathedral, 1616
E. Illinois Ave. in Dallas. Burial will be in Fox-Hembry Cemetery in
Lewisville.

While Dr. Hembry was known for the free dental care he gave, especially
to children, he was most pleased with calming his patients' fears, said
his longtime assistant, Virginia Hemphill of Dallas.

"It made him happy when he removed a tooth" and the patient didn't
realize it was out, Ms. Hemphill said. "He was jolly, and he was good.
He lifted you up."

Ms. Hemphill worked for Dr. Hembry from the year after he opened his
clinic in 1954 at 1831 Singleton Blvd. to well past his 1984
"retirement."

Born in Lewisville, Dr. Hembry was a graduate of Dallas' Booker T.
Washington High School, now Booker T. Washington High School for the
Performing and Visual Arts. He received his bachelor's degree from
Prairie View A&M College, now Prairie View A&M University.

After serving in the Army during World War II, he earned his dental
degree at Howard University School of Dentistry in Washington, DC, in
1951.

Dr. Hembry spent his first three years after dental school working to
raise money to open his clinic. His jobs included teaching school and
chauffeuring for Stanley Marcus, the late, legendary Dallas retailer,
said Dr. Hembry's daughter Lisa Hembry of Dallas.

"Mr. Stanley offered to set him up in practice ... but my dad had
already scraped the money together by then," Ms. Hembry said.

Dr. Hembry worked long days so that his patients, many of whom were poor
and worked odd hours, could get to his clinic, said his daughter, who
was part of the clinic staff.

"We worked until there was not another tooth to be pulled," she said.

Dr. Hembry gave free dental exams to children whose families couldn't
afford them. There were also generous credit terms for patients who
didn't have insurance or another means to pay.

"We had a guy who used to bring fish all the time," Ms. Hembry said.

Dr. Hembry also helped launch medical careers, Ms. Hemphill said. He
allowed one physician and three dentists to use his clinic to get their
practices off the ground, she said.

He was a member of the National Dental Association, which honored him
with its 2002 Civil Rights Award for mentoring young dentists. He was
also a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, the Regular Fellows Club of
Dallas and the Cedar Crest Homeowners Association.

In retirement he was an active member of Cedar Crest CME Cathedral and
liked to travel.

Dallas News