What can we say of Baxter Perkinson? His many gifts and talents make him someone to admire—and perhaps to envy. Perkinson has built an acclaimed dental practice. As a dentist, he ranks among the best of the best. His peers hold him in great esteem. His philanthropy gives gladness to the world. And he paints. His watercolors not only decorate his offices but hang in the homes of collectors. The guy is good. If he took up conducting, he probably would end up leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Dentist W. Baxter Perkinson Jr. believes that one day the biological beginnings for replacement human teeth will be grown in laboratories. A new dental school building at Virginia Commonwealth University named for Perkinson will have an entire floor devoted to laboratories where researchers in tissue engineering and other disciplines will be trying to advance such discoveries.