Dental Leader Passes Away: Remembering Major General (Retired) Patrick D. Sculley
Retired Army Major General Patrick D. Sculley, former Deputy Surgeon General and 23rd Chief of the U.S. Army Dental Corps, passed away April 15, 2025, after a battle with cancer.
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Retired Army Major General Patrick D. Sculley, former Deputy Surgeon General and 23rd Chief of the U.S. Army Dental Corps, passed away April 15, 2025, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. (Courtesy photos) |
April 18, 2025 by Sharon Holland
Retired Army Major General Patrick D. Sculley, former Deputy Surgeon General and 23rd Chief of the U.S. Army Dental Corps, passed away April 15, 2025, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. A towering figure in military medicine and dental education, Sculley’s legacy is one of extraordinary service, scholarship, and enduring impact.
Following his distinguished military career, Sculley joined the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) as Senior Vice President for University Programs in the Southern Region. Based in San Antonio, Texas, he was instrumental in establishing graduate and postgraduate health education programs for military dental officers and other healthcare professionals. His efforts led to the creation of the USU Postgraduate Dental College (PDC) and the Master of Science in Oral Biology program—both of which continue to educate military dental officers across the Army, Navy and Air Force. He also played a pivotal role in developing USU’s partnership with the Medical Education and Training Campus in San Antonio, helping the Services understand the value of this affiliation and guiding the accreditation process through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which ultimately led to the establishment of USU’s College of Allied Health Sciences.
“After a distinguished career in the Army, Dr. Sculley joined USU as Senior Vice President for the Southern Region,” said USU President Emeritus Dr. Charles Rice, who recruited him to the university. “He played a key role in establishing the Postgraduate Dental College because of the great respect in which he was held in the Dental Corps of all three Services. He brought great wisdom, experience and wit, and he will be greatly missed.”
Throughout his Army service, Sculley worked tirelessly to protect the authority and mission of the Dental Corps, advocating for full enforcement of Title 10 provisions that ensured dental matters remained under the Corps Chief’s purview. He was especially focused on recruitment and retention, championing improved pay and benefits to compete with the civilian sector. He also led a passionate campaign to secure the Medal of Honor for World War II Army dentist Captain Ben Solomon.
Sculley’s leadership spanned a transformational time for the Military Health System, including the events of 9/11. He oversaw key advancements in care delivery, including the establishment of the U.S. Army Dental Command and command of the Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, where he promoted a forward-thinking “deep battle” approach to healthcare—emphasizing prevention and readiness to reduce demand on clinical systems.
Yet for those who knew him best, it was his mentorship, strength of character, and personal connection that left the deepest mark.
“Major General Patrick Sculley was one of my first and most enduring mentors,” said retired Army Col. Patrick Donahue, now chief operations officer at USU’s School of Medicine. “I had the distinct honor of serving as his Aide-de-Camp in the early '90s, and from that point forward, he remained a steady and guiding presence throughout my 30-year career. His wisdom, integrity, and deep commitment to service shaped not only the leader I became, but the person I strive to be every day. He will be terribly missed, but his legacy lives on in all of us who were fortunate enough to learn from him.”
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| (From left) Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Travis, 21st Surgeon General of the Air Force and incoming senior vice president of Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Joint Base Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, Dr. John Schriver, chief of medical education, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, and Retired Army Maj. Gen. Patrick (Pat) Sculley, 23rd Chief of the U.S. Army Dental Corps, former Deputy Surgeon General of the Army and outgoing senior vice president of USUHS, take a photograph at WBAMC, March 23. Travis and Sculley conducted site visits at WBAMC’s Graduate Medical Education department where physicians, medical students and other health care professionals train by placing equal emphasis on patient care, teaching and research. (Photo by Marcy Sanchez) |
Retired Army Brig. Gen. William “Bill” Bester, former USU Vice President for External Affairs and Chief of the Army Nurse Corps, remembered Sculley fondly. “Pat was always bigger than life to me, both physically and in personality. The two of us looked like Mutt and Jeff when we walked down the hallway together. He was both a mentor and a true friend to me in so many ways. He was honest, candid, insightful, humorous, supportive and kind. I have lost a good friend and the world has lost a great leader and a wonderful human being. I feel fortunate and honored to have known him and to have worked with and for him.”
“Major General Sculley was a giant in every aspect of the word—physically (he was a former semi-pro football player), intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually,” said retired Army Col. Robert Thompson, USU Chief of Staff. “He once humorously claimed in response to his call for help that I had saved his life when I ran down into our underground garage that, at the time, was under intensive renovation and guided him to our command suite, but the truth is that he always enhanced the quality of my life and countless others who were blessed to know this giant of a man.”
Retired Air Force Col. Thomas Schneid, former executive dean of the PDC, emphasized Sculley’s vital role in creating and shaping the college. “I am firmly convinced that without Dr. Sculley, there would be no USU Postgraduate Dental College. I’ve heard him described many times as ‘a force of nature’ and he was just that. His persistence with the USU Board of Regents and his work with, and on behalf of the three Services resulted in the birth of the PDC. He often gave credit to Dr. [Charles] Rice for the PDC founding and I’m sure it wouldn’t have happened without his support, but I know it wouldn’t have happened without Sculley as the driving force.”
Schneid continued, “I also know that one of the things he was very proud of, that he authored, was what he called the ‘USUHS Brand.’ He used it to communicate the PDC’s value to the University as well as to all three military Services. After his retirement, I continued to re-emphasize his ‘USUHS Brand’ on many occasions, and hopefully that is still being done by Dr. Fallis and his team. On a personal note, Dr. Sculley meant a lot to me. He was more than a colleague; I considered him a friend, mentor, and sort of wise uncle. He was never too busy to talk and shared his vast knowledge and experience willingly. I will always be grateful to him for his support in becoming his successor as the PDC Dean.”
In addition to his military and academic roles, Sculley served as president of the Fisher House Board in San Antonio, president of the Order of Military Medical Merit, executive director of Sigma Xi (the international scientific and engineering honor society), and chairman of the Board of the AMEDD Museum Foundation, where he was a key contributor to the creation of the Medal of Honor Walk. He was board certified in general dentistry and oral medicine and held professional certifications from the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Society of Association Executives.
“Dr. Sculley was a visionary leader whose legacy is woven into the very fabric of this university,” said Dr. Jonathan Woodson, President of USU. “His work to establish the Postgraduate Dental College transformed graduate education for military dental officers across all Services and strengthened the readiness of our armed forces. More than that, he exemplified the spirit of service, mentorship, and excellence that we strive to instill in every USU graduate. We are deeply grateful for his enduring contributions to military medicine and to USU.”
