James Chancellor '68 Named UTSD's Alumnus of the Year

The UTSD Alumni Association has named James W. Chancellor, DDS, of Garden Ridge as the Alumnus of the Year for 2016. He received the award at the annual UTSD Alumni Round-Up Sept. 23 at The Denton A. Cooley, MD and Ralph C. Cooley, DDS University Life Center.

Chancellor earned a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology from Texas A&M University in 1969 after entering dental school, graduating from UTSD in 1971. He served two years in the U.S. Air Force Dental Corps and completed residency training in anesthesiology at UT Medical Branch in Galveston. After 43 years of practice, he retired in 2014.

He has maintained ties to UTSD over the years as a Legacy Member of the UTSD Alumni Association, serving as San Antonio Regional Team Leader for the school’s Open to Health initiative. He served on the school’s Advisory Council and contributed funds for an operatory in the new building.

Appointed to the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners (2009-16) by former Gov. Rick Perry, Chancellor served on several committees related to enforcement, anesthesia, licensing, quality control and dental hygiene.

Chancellor has been active in organized dentistry at every level while pursuing excellence in dentistry and his chosen specialty of anesthesiology. He is a charter member and past president of the American Society of Dentistry Anesthesiologists, a Diplomate of both the American and National Dental Boards of Anesthesiology, and a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, the American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy.

As a member of the San Antonio District Dental Society since 1976, Chancellor has held virtually every office, including President. He is a retired life member of the Texas Dental Association and American Dental Association, serving on the TDA Board of Directors and Delegate to the ADA House of Delegates.

He and his wife, Patricia D. Chancellor, DDS, have two daughters, Kimberly Schwarz and Michele DeAngelis.