Louis Castilian, DDS '53

Dentist fought for civil rights

When retired dentist Louis Castilian, DDS ’53 was invited to lunch with the Southeastern District Dental Society of Georgia (SEDDS) in fall 2004, he looked forward a pleasant afternoon talking with colleagues.  To his great surprise and delight, he was also given the President’s Award for his actions 40 years earlier:  In 1965 Castilian endorsed six African American dentists seeking membership in the then all-white dental society, and the award recognized the instrumental part he played in their eventual admittance into the organization.  Ironically, the current President of SEDDS is the son of one of those African-American dentists, and it was he who invited Castilian to the lunch and presented him with the award.  Of that moment, Castilian says, “The recommendation [to admit African-Americans to the society] was met with absolute stony silence.  Then 40 years later when the President’s Award was given to me it was met by a standing ovation.”

Fighting for Justice

Castilian traces the roots of his advocacy back to 1944, when he was in officers’ candidate school for the US Army.  Growing up in North Tonawanda, NY, Castilian had had little contact with people of color.  In training he was paired with an African-American man named Howard Carter, and the two became fast friends.  One afternoon, as they were returning from the field, Castilian suggested that they head into town for a well-deserved steak dinner.  Castilian says, “Carter looked at me like I was insane and said, ‘We can’t do that—I am black and you are white!’  That was my first real confrontation with the Jim Crow laws, and I thought that was horrible.”

The moment left a lifelong impression on Castilian.  Twenty years later, when he was approached by a group of African American dentists who were denied membership in the all-white SEDDS, he did not hesitate to help them.  “I didn’t see the justice in that at all,” says Castilian.  “When I was asked to endorse them, I could see the face of Howard Carter, that good friend of mine in Fort Benning.  We couldn’t have dinner together because he was black and I was white.  I thought, ‘I am not going to cooperate with Jim Crow right here in Savannah.’  So we did what we could – we started a fight for three years – and we broke that color barrier.”

A dream deferred

As a native Western New Yorker, Castilian had always dreamed of attending UB to study dentistry.  However, he grew up during the Great Depression, and attending college during those troubled times was impossible.  Castilian did have some exposure to UB while in the army, which sent him to study radio theory and electronics in night school.  He fondly recalls Charlie Fogel, a physics instructor who was “a wonderful human being and a real friend.”  After Castilian completed officers’ candidate school he served in World War II, commanding a 40-man infantry platoon in combat in France and Germany.

Following the war, the GI Bill and scholarships allowed Castilian to enroll at UB for pre-dental studies, and he received his doctorate of dentistry in 1953.  He was class president in the dental school for four years and says of his UB experience, “I think that the education there was excellent.  We had some outstanding instructors, including S. Howard Payne, who was probably at the top of my list of good people.  Evelyn Young, who taught radiology, was superb.  I was very pleased with the education I received.”

After graduation, Castilian and his wife, a former army nurse, relocated to Savannah, GA, where he was in private practice until 1982.  He is particularly proud of his 10-year participation on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Kettering Laboratory in the Medical College of the University of Cincinnati.  He and the other researchers created a bibliography on the effects of fluorine compounds that was instrumental in promoting the eventual fluoridation of our national water supplies.

A busy retirement

Castilian says his retirement has been an active and productive 23 years.  With some friends he established a Habitat for Humanity affiliate and built houses for the underprivileged for eight years.  He and his wife had five children, three of whom are living, and he also has three grandchildren.  After 56 years of marriage, Castilian’s first wife passed away and he remarried two years ago.  The couple enjoys fishing, golf, and traveling in the U.S. and Europe.

Castilian maintains ties to Buffalo, including a sister who lives near UB’s North (Amherst) Campus.  “Every time I have been up there I have seen that campus and have been amazed at the growth and how the university has expanded,” he says.  “It is a beautiful place.”  He was most recently in Buffalo in 2003 to celebrate his 50th reunion.  Says Castilian, “Our class has stayed together fairly closely, and we had met every five years in conjunction with a dental society meeting.  For the 50th year we had a nice reunion and a really good party.”

Written by Jessica Dudek, BA '94

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