African American physicians

Dr. Bell is a Black physician and relates the limitations placed upon him because of his race. He was interviewed concerning his opinions and experiences in relation to the history of Blacks in Louisville.

Dr. Bell discusses his early life and education, including his training at Alcorn College, Morehouse College, and Meharry Medical College. He discusses his involvement with the Red Cross Hospital, a Black-run hospital in Louisville that was known as Community Hospital starting in 1972. (The hospital, founded in 1899, closed in 1975.) Dr. Bell became involved with the hospital in the early 1940s, and discusses the developments there, including the institution of a nurses' training program, integration, fundraising, and other issues. He discusses the clientele of the hospital as well as the care they received. He also talks about the loss to the Black community at the closing of the hospital, and the apparent lack of loyalty the community had to the institution. He discusses Hattie Bishop Speed, as a person and as a supporter of the hospital.

Albert Goldin, a white physician, discusses his association with Red Cross (later Community) Hospital during the last years of its existence. He recalls the role of the board of directors, the failure of the institution, and the relationship between the Black and Jewish medical communities in Louisville.

Johnson discusses his role as administrator of Red Cross (Community) Hospital; the problems confronting him and the hospital; and why the hospital failed to survive.

Dr. Rabb discusses his early life and education in Mississippi. He speaks of his experiences as a student at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, comparing race relations in his hometown to those in Nashville. He also discusses student activism at Fisk while he was a student. He describes his medical education at Meharry Medical College, and his internship at Kansas City General Hospital Number 2, the segregated public hospital for blacks in Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Rabb practiced in Shelbyville, Kentucky from 1930 to 1946, and he discusses his practice there, including his relationships with the white physicians in town. Rabb left Shelbyville for Louisville, and he discusses the difficulties that led him to make that move. He talks about his move to Louisville and the support (in the form of office space) he received from Dr. C. Milton Young, Jr. He goes on to discuss his work at Red Cross Hospital, and how he came to be the first African American admitted for post-graduate training at Louisville General Hospital. He describes other areas of integration, including the University of Louisville and its athletic programs. He talks about his leadership role in Louisville's Human Relations Commission, particularly in the area of integrating the police force. He describes his own encounters with racism, the changes he's seen over time, and his role in the sit-ins in Louisville in 1960. He also talks about the integration of public housing. He notes that his proudest achievement is his involvement with the NAACP; he was also a founder of the Kentucky Civil Liberties Union.

Dr. Walls, who was intimately connected with the Red Cross Hospital in Louisville from 1918 until he retired in 1968, discusses the early history of the hospital with particular emphasis on its role in the Black Community.

A monologue on Dr. Walls' life. A partial summary is available in the interview folder (1984-60).

Dr. Walls discusses practicing medicine in the Black community in Louisville from 1918 until his retirement. He recounts his work with the Falls City Medical Society, Red Cross Hospital, and the integration of the Jefferson County Medical Society in 1953. (Note: Red Cross Hospital changed its name to "Community Hospital" in 1972.)

C. Milton Young, Jr., M.D., discusses his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee; his parents C. Milton Young, Sr., and Annie Young; his education at Pearl High School, Fisk University, and Meharry Medical School; internships; early practice at Lane Clinic in Louisville; work as school physician at Louisville Municipal College and medical director at the Central Louisville Health Center; and work as assistant director of the city health department in Louisville.

A Black physician discusses his association with Red Cross Hospital (later Community Hospital) which originated in 1899 to treat Louisville Blacks. Young discusses his work as medical director at the hospital, the reasons for its closing, what the institution meant to the Black community, the impact of integration and federal health programs on its future, and proposals to save the hospital.