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Alumna's Gift a
"Thank You" to School
of Dentistry
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Helyn and Lick Luechauer
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As a welder and truck driver during World War II, Helyn Luechauer, DDS '66, learned robust skills, met unlikely characters, and gained the satisfaction of helping her country. But those rough-and-tumble years also gave Helyn, then in her early 20s, something more lasting: steadfast confidence in the face of surly opposition.
That confidence allowed her to enter dental school at a time when only 1 percent of dentists nationwide were women, and almost no dental student was as old as she: 41. Initially rejected by 12 schools, Helyn overcame these barriers to enter the profession in 1966, a graduate of UCSF's School of Dentistry. She would go on to become both the first female member and female president of the California Board of Dental Examiners.
Through it all, she channeled her truck driver toughness.
"When I went to work in the shipyards, I had just flunked out of college, and had a terrible feeling of worthlessness," she says. "I wanted to do something different with my life." Welding steel boxes and transporting soldiers restored a sense of purpose.
It also gave her a lifelong mate. She met her husband, Jarvis "Lick" Luechauer, on the graveyard shift. The two married, and after several years of skimping and saving, began pursuing their dream careers.
Initially rejected by 20 dental schools for being "too old" (he was 36), Lick eventually enrolled at Loyola Chicago—after Helyn wrote the school a persuasive letter on his behalf. Ten years later, when most dental schools limited the number of females admitted, a persistent Helyn entered UCSF despite being "too old" herself.
After graduation, she went on to join her husband's private practice in Hollywood, teach dentistry at UCLA, and serve as board member and president of prestigious organizations such as the American Association of Women Dentists.
Grateful to UCSF for helping to make Helyn's dreams come true, the Luechauers recently established a $378,000 gift annuity, which will provide unrestricted support for the UCSF School of Dentistry. A second gift annuity of $12,500 to the School will fund a scholarship for students with financial need.
"Somebody gave me a chance, and I want to give others a chance," Helyn asserts. "As Ayn Rand said—'My best for your best.'"
"This is a couple who faced opposition as they pursued their dreams, but they never gave up," says Charles Bertolami, DDS, DMedSc, dean of the School of Dentistry. "And when someone opened a door for them, they returned it in kind. Their spirit of generosity will live on at UCSF."
For information on making a planned gift to UCSF, contact Dan Riley at 415/476-1475 or driley@support.ucsf.edu.
For information on giving to the UCSF School of Dentistry, contact Richard McKenzie at 415/476-3645 or rmckenzie@support.ucsf.edu.
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