John E. Gilster
John E. Gilster, a 1944 graduate of the Washington University School of Dental Medicine, served on its faculty for almost forty years. He joined the faculty in 1950 as instructor in Pediatric Dentistry. He rose to become chairman of the Department of Pedodontics in 1957 and professor and chairman of the Department in 1959. Though Gilster retired as department chairman in 1967, he remained professor of Clinical Pedodontics until his retirement in 1987.
Gilster served as chairman of the American Board of Pedodontics in 1966 and as president of the American Association of Dental Editors in 1971. In addition, he was a fellow of the American Academy of Pedodontics, the American College of Dentists, and the International College of Dentists. Gilster served as editor of the Greater St. Louis Dental Society Bulletin (1953-1963) and of the Journal of the Missouri Dental Association (1963-1973). Gilster was a founding member of the board of the directors of the National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasias.
For his many accomplishments, Gilster was recognized by the Washington University Dental Alumni Association as a Distinguished Alumni in 1977; he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Washington University in 1987.