Wordless Wednesday: Black Students at Yale Medical School, 1895
December 9th, 2008 by Ajuan Mance
Yale Medical students photographed in 1895. The photo includes Black students Arthur Leslie Howard and William Fletcher Penn, who would graduate in 1897.
(Source: Yale and Medicine, 1701 – 1901)
Posted by Ajuan Mance
Posted in Uncategorized
December 9th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Were they the first?
December 9th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
I’m endlessly fascinated at how old photos capture the essence of history because they bring life to the people who made the history.
December 9th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
In fact, the first African American to graduate from Yale Medical School was Courtlandt Van Rensselaer Creed, M.D. He was also the first African American to earn a degree from Yale University and the first African American to get a degree from any of the colleges that eventually came to comprise the Ivy League.
You can read an interesting article on his legacy and his descendants at this link:
http://newhavenindependent.org/archives/2007/06/_heres_a_kind_o.php
December 10th, 2008 at 12:04 am
Nice to know! Great historical shot!
December 10th, 2008 at 1:05 am
I was looking forward to your WW! Didn’t disappoint!
December 10th, 2008 at 1:37 am
I come here for the WW and leave with great historical information. Thanks for always sharing.
December 10th, 2008 at 1:51 am
oh wow, thanks for the education. great shot too 🙂
happy ww
December 10th, 2008 at 2:42 am
How about that! Always enjoy your bits of history and the photos that go with them…
December 10th, 2008 at 2:43 am
wow! this picture is already a history, nice shot!
December 10th, 2008 at 2:45 am
I’m always sentimental about old photos, it’s priceless!
December 10th, 2008 at 3:20 am
Great find! I had no idea!
December 10th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Great find, as usual.I love your photo essay history lessons. It is so inspiring and makes me proud to see these Black students and professionals from such a discriminating time take education seriously. Now, many of our young people today are proud of being illiterate and un-educated. What a shame.
happy ww.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Interesting piece of history. I wonder when did the first Asian graduate from Yale Medical School.
December 10th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Another little known bit of history. I never visit here that I don’t learn something.
December 11th, 2008 at 12:58 am
Thanks to all of you for dropping in for my Wordless Wednesday post! I’m so glad to see so many return visitors.
Daddy Forever, thanks for asking about the first Asian graduate from Yale Medical school. The first Chinese student to graduate from Yale’s undergraduate program predated the first African American (Edward Bouchet) by about 20 years.
According to Yale’s alumni magazine, that graduate was Yung Wing. He was also the first Chinese student to graduate from an American college or university.
You can read more about him at this link: http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/2004_11/old_yale.html
December 12th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
I love this vintage pictures. They’re really interesting! 🙂
Thanks for dropping by, I hope you had a great WW day!
December 13th, 2008 at 6:11 am
Thanks for the info.
December 19th, 2008 at 12:04 am
Wow that’s awesome. Love the old photo and I appreciate the history. 😉
October 28th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
just found out that William F Penn family is related to me, how wonderful it is to put a face to his name, great pic!