This article is from the archives of the UB Reporter.
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Obituaries

Frederick Helm, professor emeritus in the Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, died May 7 in Weinberg Campus, Getzville, after a long illness. He was 82.

A native of Reichenberg, now known as Liberec, in the former Czechoslovakia, Helm earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Erlangen, Germany, in 1949 and his medical education in Graz, Austria, in 1955. He completed his dermatology residency at the University of Vienna and later trained with the renowned dermatologist Walter Lever at Tufts University.

He began working at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in 1962, becoming chair of the dermatology department in 1981. He became chair of the UB Department of Dermatology in 1983, retiring from that post in 1989. He practiced privately until he retired in 1997.

He authored or co-authored more than 90 research articles and edited a textbook, “Cancer Dermatology.” His passion for dermatology inspired both of his sons to pursue careers in dermatology and dermatopathology.

A memorial service is planned for August at the School of Dental Medicine for S. Howard Payne, a retired faculty member who died April 29 in Tucson, Ariz. He was 94.

Born in Buffalo, Payne attended UB and graduated cum laude from the School of Dental Medicine in 1937. He then joined the school’s faculty as a professor and later became assistant dean. After serving on the faculty for 44 years, he retired in 1982 to Tucson.

In 1983, UB bestowed the title “distinguished retired clinical professor emeritus” on Payne, who received the first Distinguished Service Award from the Academy of Prosthodontics in 2006.

As a prosthodontist, Payne specialized in providing dental implants, as well as other aesthetic and reconstructive dentistry. He also worked in private practice in the Buffalo area.

He was elected president of the Academy of the Board of Dental Prosthetics in 1966.

Payne was a highly sought-after lecturer and taught courses at schools not only in the U.S., but in Canada, Europe, Egypt and South Africa, where he was elected as an honorary member of the South African Prosthodontic Society.

In addition to his presentations at national and international meetings, Payne published several papers and book chapters, and served as section editor and consultant to the International Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry for more than 30 years.

He also played a pivotal role in establishing the Department of Dentistry and Maxillofacial Prosthetics at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.