Dr. Gregory C Bell, DDS

Other Events:

• Reference Number: 71
• Residence: 1 Apr 1940, Linton, Vigo, Indiana, USA

Notes:

Biography from http://gold56.org/bio.htm

Gregory C. Bell was born November 7, 1930 on a 36 acre truck farm 10 miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana. Third from the youngest of nine children, he spent the first 12 years of his life living in a chicken house after the house built by his father was destroyed by fire. With no fire insurance and no money, the family was forced to make do with what was available.
He attended elementary school at Pimento School in Pimento, Indiana, and , only the second of his family to do so, he graduated from Garfield High School in Terre Haute in 1948.
He participated in Track & Field while at Garfield and culminated his high school athletic career with a second place finish in the long jump at the State Track and Field Championship Meet.
Not having prepared for a college career, he worked at such odd jobs as presented themselves to him until his induction in the Armed Forces of the United States in 1950. It was during this time period that he discovered that he had not lost his athletic ability and, indeed, it had improved. He won the European Armed Forces championship in the long jump and that proved the impetus for his later interest in resuming participation in the sport.
After discharge from the Army, he obtained a job at a local plant and soon began working out on the same high school track that had seen the beginning of his athletic career. As he contined to improve, he attracted the attention of a local physician who was determined that the raw talent he had observed should not be wasted and was instrumental in enrolling Greg at Indiana University in the Fall of 1954.
After trying and discarding several suggestions as to what course he should pursue, Greg was convinced that he should try his hand at Dentistry. He found this to his liking and received his doctorate in dental surgery in 1961. Along the way he managed to go through his three varsity years of competition in Track & Field without a loss in his specialty, the long jump. A listing of his major athletic honors is on another page.
After graduation from the Indiana University School of Dentistry, Greg spent the following year as a clinical instructor in the Crown and Bridge department of Howard University in Washington, D.C.. In 1962 he returned to his hometown of Terre Haute, Indiana and began his private practice of dentistry. In 1969 he accepted a position of staff dentist at the Logansport State Hospital and for the next 25 years he conducted a part time evening practice in his profession as well as his primary staff duties. He is still actively pursuing his career of dentistry as the Director of Dental Services, Logansport State Hospital.
Greg has 3 children, a daughter, Valinda who is a nurse with two sons, a son, Gregory Kent, an engineering technician for Rolls Royce in Indianapolis, s daughter, Shari, managing attorney in contract law for HUD. Gregory Kent has a son and a daughter, Shari has two sons.
On December 26, 1990 Greg was married to Mary Lawrie who also has four children, son, Chuck, daughter Becky, twin daughters, Kelly and Shelly and five grandchildren. Mary is taking a well deserved hiatus from work as Greg's dental assistant to pursue her many and varied interests including cooking, herbs, gardening and antiques.
One of Greg´s avocations is presenting programs in which he delights audiences with his remarkable delivery of the works of Paul Laurence Dunbar. He specializes in recitations from memory the dialect pieces which are inimical to Dunbar. His presentations are from 30 to 45 minutes and there is a comparative sampling of Dunbar´s more contemporary style of poetry which are equally captivating. Greg´s delivery of Dunbar´s poetry will transport the listener to the times places and moods of a lowly people of which Dunbar writes. He also includes a sampling of his own poetry when delivering motivational presentations. He has presented to all the elementary schools in the area, addresses poetry classes at Logansport High School on a yearly basis and has delivered commencement address to two other area high schools.
Dr. Bell's hobbies include ameteur radio, computers, poetry, landscaping, and woodworking.

Major Athletic Honors

These are the major athletic honors for Greg Bell during his undergraduate years at Indiana University.
Long Jump

National A.A.U. Champion - Outdoor 1955 to 1959, Indoor 1958
NCAA Champion - 1956 and 1957
Penn Relays Champion - 1956, 1957, 1958
USA vs USSR Champion and Team Captain - 1959
Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Champion - 1956, 1957, 1958
Ohio Relays Champion - 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958
Ranked 1st in in the world, Long Jump - 1956, 1957, 1958
NCAA All American - 1956, 1957, 1958
National A.A.U. All American - 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958

Other Honors

Balfour Award for most outstanding athlete in Track and Field at Indiana University - 1956, 1957, 1958
Penn Relays 100 yard dash champion - 1957
Most outstanding athlete, Penn Relays - 1957
Held Penn Relays record in long jump for 24 years
Only 3 time consecutive long Jump champion, Penn Relays
Held I. U. Long Jump record for 35 years - 26' 7"
Held NCAA record for 7 years - 26' 7"
Big Ten Medal for Athletic and Scholastic Achievements - 1958
Captain of USA Vs USSR team - 1959
Member of Citizen's Savings Hall of Fame
Charter member of Indiana Track & Field Hall of Fame
Charter member of I. U. Athletic Hall of Fame
Elected to Big Ten All Century Track and Field team
Inducted into National Track & Field Hall of Fame - 1988
Inducted into Penn Relays Wall of Fame - 1995

Gregory married M. Lawrie. [Group Sheet]

Gregory married Clara E. Stewart 19 Nov 1953, Vigo, Indiana, USA. Clara (daughter of James Ruffin Stewart and Mattie Ewing Edwards) was born 9 Feb 1934, Terre Haute, Vigo, Indiana, USA; died 3 Mar 1996, Terre Haute, Vigo, Indiana, USA. [Group Sheet]