Legacy

The practice was established by Dr. Willard Wolfe in 1960. From the beginning, the keystone on which the practice was built was quality and caring dental service with an emphasis on periodontal health.

While Dr. Wolfe was a dedicated and talented dentist, he was also a passionate environmentalist. In 1968 he and wife, Joan, founded the West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC). Also, he served in many environmental capacities that brought us cleaner rivers and lakes.

He attended Dartmouth College and became employed in human resources at The Ford Motor Company in Detroit. While married with two children, Dr. Wolfe decided that he wanted to be his own boss, and attended dental school at The University of Detroit. After dental school, Dr. Wolfe moved to Grand Rapids where he started his practice. In addition to the practice of dentistry, Dr. Wolfe taught dental hygiene and dental assisting at Grand Rapids Junior College.

Dr. Wolfe’s original location was on Plainfield Avenue near Knapp Street. This location served the early practice, but eventually proved inadequate. In 1970 Dr. Wolfe and others built the Northeast Professional Building at 2300 Three Mile Road. This facility allowed the practice to grow and expand to serve a greater number of people of the community.

In October 1989, after a number of years of painstaking and careful searching, Dr. Wolfe turned over the reins of the practice to a husband and wife team, Drs. Adele Gray and James Lockwood. Their backgrounds, both academically and in private practice, made them ideal successors to carry on the quality tradition of this practice.

They, too, conducted an extensive statewide search for an outstanding opportunity and decided on this practice as the kind of quality care tradition they were seeking.

In March 2001, after land acquisition and two years of preparation and design work, Drs. Gray and Lockwood moved their practice into their new building at 3303 Grand Ridge Drive. Dr. Lockwood designed the building, including all of the interior rooms and features. This is a timeless, state-of-the-art dental office that prioritizes patient and employee wellness. 

Personal note: It has been a privilege to carry on for Dr. Wolfe after he retired from dentistry in 1989. He and his wife became dear friends, and we enjoyed seeing them regularly, both socially and professionally. Although his physical presence has left us, his legacy lives on in the marvelous dental care he performed, and the many delightful stories shared with us.