Early Life and Education - Born in 1886 in Brunswick, Georgia - Father was a dentist - Attended Marist College and Georgia Institute of Technology - Earned dental degree from Emory University - Taught anatomy and Orthodontics at Emory University from 1917 to 1924

Career and Contributions - Perplexed by heavy forces used in orthodontics - Influenced by Dr. Albin Oppenheim's use of light pressure - Patented the Universal Appliance in 1929 - Appliance incorporated Angles ribbon arch and edgewise arch appliances - Allowed for the use of light forces in moving teeth

The Spencer R. Atkinson Library of Applied Anatomy - Started collecting skulls in 1919 - Kept collection at his home in Pasadena, California - Studied facial growth patterns and dental characteristics of skulls - University of Pacific School of Dentistry acquired the collection in 1964 - Library consists of 1,400 skulls from different countries and age ranges

Awards and Recognition - Order of the Aztec Eagle, 1946 - Diplomate of American Board of Orthodontics - Albert H. Ketcham Memorial Award, 1953 - Fellow of American College of Dentists, International Association of Dental Research - University of Southern California Hall of Fame, 1979

References - 'Our Best Kept Secret' (PDF) - Dugoni School of Dentistry - Atkinson Collection - Fastlicht, Samuel (1950). 'Evolution of the universal appliance.' - Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spencer_Atkinson&oldid=1187892293 - Categories: 20th-century American dentists, Orthodontists, 1886 births, 1970 deaths