James Fletcher Jernigan Jr., 57: Decades-long Atlanta dentist

By Rick Badie

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dr. James Fletcher knew some people dislike visiting the dentist. He tried to put patients at ease and make the experience as painless as possible.

For the past 15 years, he operated a private practice on Howell Mill Road.  In his office, patients were greeted by a large aquarium and a waiting room with a seaside motif.

Then there was Dr. Jernigan, a dentist who Robert E. Hicks of  Marietta deemed top-notch.

"I have good, sound teeth at the age of 84, and I eat three times a day," he said. "He was my dentist for decades, and he was very skillful, very patient and had a great understanding of his profession. I have a great appreciation for him, his father and his sister. It's a shame that he was taken away so young."

Dr. James Fletcher Jernigan Jr. of Atlanta died June 7 from complications of  colon cancer at Atlanta Hospice. He was 57. A local memorial service has been held, but an additional ceremony is being planned for next month at Ponte Verda, Fla., a  family vacation spot. H.M. Patterson & Son, Spring Hill Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.

Dr. Jernigan graduated in 1970 from William F. Dykes High School, where he was a three-sport athlete. The Atlanta native decided to study dentistry while an undergraduate psychology major at Vanderbilt University. His psychology professor had conducted a study on the effects of a smile. The findings showed that people, generally, feel better about themselves if they have a nice smile.

That study played a role in Dr. Jernigan attending Emory University School of Dentistry, where he graduated in 1979. After college, he opened a private practice in Atlanta to offer services that included fillings,  implants, crowns, orthodontics and cosmetic procedures. He was an Atlanta dentist more than 25 years; Dr. Joe Alvarez recently bought his practice.

In the community, Dr. Jernigan coached recreational baseball in Buckhead and helped found a nonprofit called the Georgia Spit-Tobacco Education Program, or GSTEP. The organization worked to curb tobacco use among young people.

"We went after the pre-high school level," said his father, James  F. Jernigan Sr., of Atlanta. "If nothing else, it was a tremendous education for the little leaguers and their parents."

Dr. Jernigan enjoyed golf, baseball and Florida vacations. He belonged to the American Dental Association, the Georgia Dental Association and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

"People say he really had that special touch," his father said. "I would say that he got a great deal of satisfaction from what he did. I  know it's cliche, but the basic thing he wanted to do in dentistry was help other people."

Additional survivors include his mother, Eloise Jernigan; his wife of 31 years, Cordelia Brumby Jernigan; two daughters, Cordelia Grayand Caroline Adkins Jernigan; a son, James Fletcher Jernigan III; a sister, Jane J. Wilson; and one grandchild. All reside in Atlanta.