Harold Hillenbrand, 74; Ex-Dental Assn. Director

Harold Hillenbrand, 79, executive director and chief spokesman for the American Dental Assn. for 24 years, died here Saturday.

In addition to heading the ADA from 1946 until 1970, Hillenbrand made major contributions in the field of dental socioeconomics. He was the first dentist to serve as an adviser to the official U.S. delegation to the World Health Organization, and the first dentist to be honored by the Institute of Medicine by direct election to the institute’s senior membership.

Hillenbrand also was the 144,000-member ADA’s first executive director emeritus.

Before his appointment as chief executive officer, Hillenbrand served as assistant editor and editor of The Journal of the American Dental Assn. from 1942 to 1945.

Under Hillenbrand’s direction, association membership grew from about 65,000 in 1946 to 112,000 in 1970, while total assets grew at an annual rate of nearly 40%.

Hillenbrand graduated from Loyola University of Chicago’s School of Dentistry in 1930. He became an associate professor of ethics and social relations at Loyola from 1938 until 1951, and maintained a private practice in Chicago from 1930 until 1945.