William J. Pendergast ’42 died on August 17, 2012, in Marion, Massachusetts.

(The following appeared in The Boston Globe on Aug. 20, 2012.)

PENDERGAST, William J. D.M.D. 93, of Marion, died August 17, 2012. Husband of the late Betty M. (McCarthy) Pendergast. Born in Boston, the son of the late William J. and Lenora M. (Noonan) Pendergast, he was raised in Dedham and lived in Weston, before retiring to Marion. He was a member of the founding group of Boston University Graduate School of Dentistry and taught at Tufts University Dental School. He was a past chair of the American Council on Dental Therapeutics, a past president of The American Academy of Dental Science and a diplomate of the American Academy of Periodontology. He was a well known and skilled periodontist, who practiced in Boston and Weston for over 40 years. He also was an inventor and architect, jewelry maker, fisherman and Dixieland jazz lover, who loved to dance and had a great sense of humor. His family was the focus of his life. Survivors include 2 sons, David L. Pendergast of Dover, MA and Peter R. Pendergast of Boston, MA; 2 daughters, Beth Pendergast of New York, NY and Julie A. Pendergast of Washington, DC; 9 grandchildren, Amy E. Pendergast, William J. Pendergast, III, Andrew C. Pendergast, Emily B. Pendergast, Christopher J. Vega, Alessandra M. Vega, Katherine E. Vega, William G. Arsenault and Elizabeth L. Arsenault; 2 great-grandchildren, Finn and Van Pendergast. He was the father of the late William J. “Pendy” Pendergast, Jr, D.M.D.