Dr. John William Corcoran, Professor Emeritus MUSC, BA, DDS, M Ed., of Summerville, husband of Frieda Hempel Corcoran, passed away November 29th, 2015 at Life Care Center of Charleston. Always welcoming and generous, full of wisdom and patience, John established lasting friendships wherever he went and will be missed by many. John was born September 23rd, 1924 in Dayton, Ohio to Harry F. Corcoran and Edna Mullenix Corcoran. After graduating Wilbur Wright High School in 1942, John attend one year of pre-med at Miami University of Ohio before leaving to serve as a medic, corporal, and company clerk in the 20th Armored Division of the US Army for thirty months during WW II. After the war, John returned to Miami University and earned his BA degree in 1948. He then attended Western Reserve University where he was invited to become their first pedodontic intern in the newly formed graduate program at Babies and Children’s Hospital. He earned his DDS in 1953 and set up private practice in Cleveland, Ohio in 1955. John was certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry in 1962. In 1965, John became the Director of Dentistry for Handicapped Children at Case Western while continuing to supervise five City of Cleveland dental clinics that served indigent children. He was invited to become a full-time faculty member of Case Western Reserve in 1966 and appointed chairman in 1967. In 1968, John was invited to become the chairman for the newly formed Dental School at the Medical University of South Carolina. In addition to this appointment, John also became the Director of Dental Services at the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs Coastal Center in Ladson. John felt that the Coastal Center provided the perfect solution for teaching dentistry of the handicapped child to dental students and later to graduate pediatric students. He remained on staff there for ten years, providing comprehensive dental treatment as well as on-call emergency dental services. John continued his studies at The Citadel, earning a M. Ed. in 1978, majoring in Clinical Counseling and Psychology. In 1985, John was invited by Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan for a six-month sabbatical as visiting professor of Pediatric Dentistry. While in Taiwan, he gave lectures on his favorite topics: Behavioral management, Hypnosis, and Dentistry for the Handicapped Child, at most of the dental schools of Taiwan. His primary teaching goal was to reduce and eliminate the fear and anxieties about dental treatment procedures for the pediatric patient, parent, and student while maintaining a positive, healthy dental relationship. After his retirement in 1989 John enjoyed many hobbies including travel, stained glass creations (his specialty was kaleidoscopes), playing Mah Jongg, and studying oral Chinese. He fully realized that his success in life was attributed to his supportive family, teachers, and faculty, as well as his wonderful staff, students, and patients. He says to all, Goodbye! John was preceded in death by his daughter, Shauna L. Corcoran; his brother, Richard E. Corcoran; and his daughter-in-law, Julia Stout/Corcoran. In addition to Frieda, his wife of over 66 years, he is survived by his son, Jon E. Corcoran of Black Mountain, NC; his daughter, Sandra L. Sipple (Bill) of Summerville; grandsons, Mitchell Sipple (Ashley) of Summerville, Dylan Sipple of Kenner, LA, and Hayden Sipple of Summerville; his great-grandchildren, Farrah and Carson of Summerville; as well as his sister-in-law, Ethel A. Corcoran of Charleston; and a niece, Patricia Evans (Mark) of Warren, PA. He will be laid to rest in Ohio at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 6931 Arlington Road, 2nd floor, Bethesda, Maryland 20814 or the MUSC Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, 30 Bee Street, Room 120, MSC 507, Charleston, SC 29425. ARRANGEMENTS BY TRI-COUNTY CREMATION CENTER, 11000 DORCHESTER ROAD, SUMMERVILLE, SC 29485 843-821-4888. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston
Posted in: Post and Courier
Posted on: 2015-12-07
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