Diane McFarland, executive secretary to the dean at U-M School of Dentistry, croons a country tune as part of the OK Chorale, a group of dentistry faculty and staff members who provided entertainment at the school’s All-American Hoedown. The school hosts a themed picnic before the start of every academic year, and Aug. 21, more than 400 faculty and staff members attended the event in the School of Dentistry plaza, which was decorated with bales of hay and sawhorses.

The OK Chorale encouraged the audience to sing along to “Happy Trails,” dedicated to Dean William Kotowicz, Dr. Lysle Johnston and Dr. Dennis Turner. Kotowicz is not seeking reappointment as dean when his extended term expires Dec. 31. Johnston, chair of the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, is stepping down in May. Turner, assistant dean for patient services, is retiring at the end of the year.

At the hoedown, Kotowicz, Turner, Marilyn Lantz, associate dean for academic affairs, and Lynn Johnson, director of dental informatics and information technology, square danced with their partners. (Photo by Marcia Ledford, U-M Photo Services)