ST. TAMMANY PARISH, LA. Obituary for: BRANNON, ROBERT B. Submitted by: Louis Lavedan. Source: E.J. Fielding Funeral Home, Covington, La. Died Monday, July 9, 2012 ======================================================================= Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgenweb.org/volunteers/copyright.shtml ======================================================================= NOTE: If a Photo is available for an obituary record, a reference note will be included with the record. =========================================================== BRANNON, ROBERT B. (June 20, 1940 - July 9, 2012) ========== A photo is available for this file. Please go to http://usgwarchives.net/la/sttammany/obits/dateobits/2012/st1207.htm and click to view list of photos. ========== Dr. Robert B. Brannon, age 72, passed away peacefully at his home in Mandeville, Louisiana on Monday, July 9, 2012. The son of Martha Lynn and Byron "Buster" Brannon, he grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Brannon is survived by his loving wife, Julie. In 1962, Dr. Brannon received a Bachelor of Arts from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. He then obtained his Doctor of Dental Surgery from Baylor University College of Dentistry in 1966. He earned a Master of Science in Dentistry from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1973. Dr. Brannon joined the United States Air Force in 1966 and served until 1996 when he retired as a colonel. During his thirty-year career in the USAF, Dr. Brannon was stationed in multiple locations in the United States and abroad. From 1993-1996 he served as Chairman of the Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Department at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. Dr. Brannon received numerous prestigious military honors including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (First Oak Leaf Cluster), and the Joint Service Commendation Medal (Second Oak Leaf Cluster). In 2009, Dr. Brannon was appointed Civilian National Consultant in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology to the Air Force Surgeon General. This three-year appointment is equivalent to the rank of a one-star brigadier general. He was only the third person to hold this position. Dr. Brannon was active in the field of Forensic Dentistry throughout his career. He directed and participated in identifications of victims in many high-profile mass disasters including the Pan Am/KLM Airline Disaster in Tenerife, Canary Islands in 1977; the 1978 Jim Jones mass suicide of 913 people in Jonestown, Guyana; and the terrorist bombing of the U.S. Marine headquarters building in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983. Dr. Brannon was also a consultant to the USAF dental team for 52 repatriated Americans from Teheran, Iran in 1981. Following his retirement from the USAF in 1996, Dr. Brannon joined the faculty of Louisiana State University School of Dentistry as a Professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. At LSUSD he was director of courses in the dental, dental hygiene, and advanced education programs. Dr. Brannon was the Head of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology from 2010-2012 and retired on July 1, 2012. Dr. Brannon was a member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society and a recipient of the LSU Health Sciences Center Pfizer Award for Excellence in Research, Education, and Patient Care. In the spring of 2012 he received four teaching honors: Honorary Faculty Member of the C. Edmund Kells Honor Society, Dr. Allen A. Copping Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Golden Apple Teaching Award from both the third- and fourth-year dental classes. Dr. Brannon was a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and served as a Director for this group from 1995-2002 and as its President from 2001-2002. He was also a fellow of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, a member of the American Dental Association and a fellow of the American College of Dentists. Dr. Brannon authored over 140 scientific articles, abstracts, and clinical presentations during the course of his prestigious career. Dr. Robert Brannon is warmly remembered by his family, friends, students, and colleagues for his kindness, dedication, professionalism, and enthusiasm for mentoring others. As an avid fan of TCU Athletics, Dr. Brannon loved attending events at the home of the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth. He will be greatly missed by all those whose lives he touched. Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the memorial service at 3:00 PM on Saturday, July 14, 2012 at E.J. Fielding Funeral Home, 2260 W. 21st Ave., Covington, LA 70433. Visiting hours will begin Saturday at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, for those wishing to honor the life and works of Dr. Robert Brannon, his wife Julie has established a memorial scholarship at the LSUHSC School of Dentistry. Checks should be payable to “LSUHSC Foundation.” Please notate “Brannon Scholarship” and send to LSUHSC School of Dentistry, 1100 Florida Ave., Box 143, New Orleans, LA ===================