July 2008: James T. Johnston, DDS

Dr. Johnston has practiced dentistry in Marion since 1967, after a three-year stint in the service a dentist in France.  He was born and raised in Dyess, Arkansas, and has been married to Carol for 47 years.  They have three grown children, Jeff (Marion), Julanne (Jackson TN), and John (Marion), and four grandchildren. 

Jim is an active member of First United Methodist Church in Marion, where he team teaches a young adult Sunday school class, serves on the Church Council, and has been the chairman of the Pastor/Parish Relations Committee for 20 years.  He has also served on the boards of the Marion School District, the State Dental Association, the Northeast Dental Society Foundation, and Mid South Community College.  He served as the assistant scout master of our club’s own Boy Scout Troop 72 for 15 years.

In his spare time, Dr. Johnston enjoys hunting, fishing, and camping.

Jim continues to practice three days a week at Scarbrough Family Dentistry, and also works for Paragon, a company that assists in ownership  transitions for dental, veterinary, and optometry practices.

Currently, Dr. Johnston is chairman of the Delta Dental of Arkansas Insurance Company charitable contribution committee. This organization donates $400,000 a year to projects that promote, provide and help educate people who need, and cannot afford, dental care in the state of Arkansas.

Delta is the foundation that donated the dental kits for Rotary District 6150’s Healthy Smile program. The foundation also donates to a few Rotary clubs across the state that sponsor clinics for the people who need, and cannot afford, regular dental care.

Delta is also a major sponsor of The Mission Of Mercy Project . This is a two-day free clinic that the Arkansas State Dental Association puts on one weekend a year. This year over $700,000 of free dental care was provided by 75 dentists and hundreds of lay volunteers in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas

Over the past two years, The Arkansas Mission of Mercy has provided free dental care to more than 3,000 low-income and uninsured Arkansans.  The care these people received was worth nearly $1.3 million.

    * 1,711 fillings have been provided

    * 5,590 teeth have been extracted

How You Can Get Involved

Contact Dr. Johnston or Dr. Scarbrough to see how you can help with our club’s Healthy Smiles program, or to donate to the Delta Dental of Arkansas Mission of Mercy Project.