Zeb F. Poindexter Jr., a longtime Houston dentist who was the first African American graduate of the University of Texas Dental Branch, died late last month. He was 83 years old.
A native of Fort Worth, Poindexter graduated from high school at age 16 and went to work to support his family. He later graduated from Wiley College and earned a master’s degree in endocrinology at Texas Southern University. He completed dental school in 1956 and opened a practice in the “Chocolate Bayou” neighborhood in Brazoria County, Texas.
He was the first African American member of the Houston District Dental Society and the first Black faculty member at the University of Texas Dental Branch.
