The KDA is saddened to learn that former KDA President, Dr. Clark Danner, passed away Monday, January 15, 2018. He practiced dentistry in Manhattan for over 52 years.

Dr. Clark Danner was born in Ellsworth, KS on August 14, 1928, son of Mary Helen Dulaney Danner and Van Earl Danner. He graduated from Ellsworth High School and received his B.S. degree in 1950 from Kansas State University, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He was a cheerleader for K-State from 1948 to 1950. In 1954, he graduated from Washington University School of Dentistry in St. Louis, MO. That summer, Clark and Nancy Leue were married prior to his re-entry to active duty in the United States Air Force. After leaving the service as a Captain, they moved to Manhattan, KS, where he started a private dental practice in September of 1956.

Throughout his professional career, Dr. Danner had the honor of serving his profession as President of the following associations: Kansas Academy of General Dentistry, Riley County Dental Society, Northwest/Golden Belt District Dental Society, Great Plains Dental Society, Saint Mary’s Hospital Dental Section, the Kansas Unit of the American Society of Dentistry for Children, and the Kansas Dental Association (1977). 

In 1960, Dr. Danner developed one of the first dental facilities in the Midwest for complete in-and-out patient care at Saint Mary’s Hospital. He has given many clinics on hospital dentistry, hypnosis, and children’s dentistry. He was named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Washington School of Dentistry in 1979. For many years, he was a delegate to both the Kansas and American Dental Associations.

His strong and lasting interests in continued professional education were motivated by his long membership in his study club, the Great Plains Dental Society. Dr. Danner earned his Fellowship and Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry. He was a member of The American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, Pierre Fauchard Academy, and the American Dental Association.

Dr. Danner was a member and held offices in the following professional organizations: American Association of Endodontists, American Academy of Periodontology, Society of Preservation of Oral Health, American Board of Hypnosis in Dentistry, and The United States Dental Golf Association.

The Kansas Dental Association honored Dr. Danner as their “Dentist of the Year” in 1994. This distinguished award was in recognition for his outstanding contributions and continued service on behalf of the practice of dentistry. He was later offered the position of Vice President of the American Dental Association.

His activities in the community included President of the PTA and memberships in: Lions, Rotary, Elks, Toast Masters, the Chamber of Commerce, and the President’s Club of KSU Foundation. For many years, he volunteered as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army. He had been a member of the Manhattan Country Club since 1956 and served as a member and chairman of the Greens Committee for over 25 years. He was a member of Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church. Due to his CPR training, he aided in saving six lives.

He and his wife, Nancy, enjoyed canoeing and fishing with family and friends throughout the Ozarks. His avocation was golf, which he played throughout his lifetime. He served as committeeman for 20 years for the Kansas Golf Association. He and Nancy shared many enjoyable golfing trips together throughout the years.      

He was preceded in death by his parents.

He is survived by his wife Nancy of the home and their three children:  D’Earl Dunn and her husband Roger of Overland Park, KS; Dean Danner and his wife Anna of Leawood, KS; Dianne Marstall and her husband Ron of Atlanta, GA. His grandchildren are: Ryan and Kelsy Dunn and Sydney and Max Danner.  

Visitation will be held from 5:00 - 6:30 PM on Friday, January 19, at the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home at 1616 Poyntz Ave, Manhattan, KS.

A Service of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, January 20, at the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 601 Poyntz Ave, Manhattan, KS with the Very Reverend A. Patrick Funston presiding. Private internment will be at a later date in Sunrise Cemetery.

The family has requested memorials be sent to the Manhattan Country Club Golf Course or the Salvation Army in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Ave, Manhattan, KS 66502.

Online condolences may left for the family through the funeral home website at: ymlfuneralhome.com.