Bettie McKaig, Friend of the School, Passes Away
Bettie Kay Raybon McKaig, CDH ‘69, BSDH ‘71, DDS ‘78, MPH ‘84, adjunct associate professor and friend of the UNC Adams School of Dentistry passed away unexpectedly on February 3, 2020. She was 71 years old.
McKaig was not only a four-time Tar Heel, she was an advocate, trailblazer, and a dedicated teacher and oral health professional.
Among her many professional accomplishments, she was the first female president of the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners, the first female president of the North Carolina Dental Society (1995-96), and the first female worldwide college president of the International College of Dentists (2019). She served as president of the UNC Dental Alumni Association and the Dental Foundation of North Carolina in her lifetime.
She ran a successful dental practice for more than 30 years and dedicated her talent and time to teaching future oral health professionals in the UNC Adams School of Dentistry for many years.
In recognition of her service to dentistry and to the UNC Adams School of Dentistry, McKaig was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1991 and the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011 from the UNC Dental Alumni Association. In 2013, she received the Dental Foundation of North Carolina’s Distinguished Service Award.
“For any of us who had the pleasure to know Dr. McKaig, to say that this is an incredible loss is an understatement,” said Dean Scott S. De Rossi, DMD, MBA. “She dedicated her career to caring for patients but also to being an advocate for providers in dental hygiene and dentistry, and especially for women in the profession.
“Her influence will surely be felt for many generations to come – after all, she has spent many of her Fridays here teaching the next generation of practitioners.”
In addition to her renowned professional accomplishments, she enjoyed a vibrant life of travel, family and love.
She and her husband, Ross Vaughn, MD ‘70, embarked on many travels all over the world, including Bali, China, Ireland, Myanmar and Patagonia, among others. She summitted Mount Kilimanjaro, skied in Vail, Colorado, and relaxed at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
She is survived by her husband, Vaughn, her siblings Vicki Hanna and Glenn Raybon, sister-in-law, Martha Jordan, stepchildren Gordan Vaughn and Sarah Vaughn, niece Jennifer Harmon, nephews Jesse Raybon, Donald Gilroy, and Stuart Raybon, and her grandchildren.
