The story of one of Cincinnati's most influential leaders in
medicine.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1939, Dr. Alvin Crawford grew up and
attended medical school in a segregated world. Beginning with his early
life in Orange Mound--a self-contained community for freed slaves
established in the 1890s--Crawford's autobiography describes his
flirtation with a music degree and time spent playing in jazz bands
through the segregated South. In 1960, Crawford began his
ground-breaking medical career with his entrance into the University of
Tennessee College of Medicine, becoming the school's first African
American student. After completing his medical training and traveling
the world as a surgeon for the Navy, Crawford found himself in
Cincinnati, where he established the Comprehensive Pediatric Orthopedic
Clinic at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, the first in the region.
Underlying this story are the systemic and very personal incidents of
racism Crawford experienced throughout his career. His autobiography is
a personal account of segregation, integration, ambition, hard work, and
taking risks.
