Archives and Rare Books
Hudlin Park and its pioneering namesake
Richard Hudlin trained tennis stars and desegregated St. Louis courts.
Author: Philip Skroska
Contact me about:
- Permission to publish images from the Becker Archives
- Requesting photographs of former School of Medicine faculty and students
- The Washington University School of Medicine Oral History Project
- General questions about the archival collections at Becker Library
Archives and Rare Books
The origin story and impact of Queeny Tower
Becker Medical Library’s visual collection archivist, Philip Skroska, leads a walking tour through time in this brief history of Queeny Tower, a long-time landmark at the Washington University Medical Center, currently being demolished.
Archives and Rare Books
The 75th Anniversary of the End of World War II
The end of World War II brought elation for some. The staff and patients of the 21st General Hospital, the US Army reserve hospital staffed by members of the Washington University medical community, were almost certainly among those in celebration. The personnel of the 21st had served continuously since 1942 and shared an immense relief [Read more]
Archives and Rare Books
‘Greetings of the Season’…and other holiday wishes from the deans
One beloved holiday tradition is sending cards to family and friends – connecting with loved ones when often the weather and a busy season make it difficult to meet personally. The Office of the Dean routinely sent out holiday cards on behalf of Washington University School of Medicine. The following are a few examples from [Read more]
Archives and Rare Books, Scholarly Publishing
Obtaining an Article Before the Internet: Reprint Requests
Back in the days before the Internet, how did authors obtain copies of journal articles if they did not hold a subscription to the journal? One common way to request a copy of an article was to send the corresponding author of the article a postcard or a letter requesting a reprint of the article. [Read more]
Archives and Rare Books
Queeny Tower Controversy
A new exhibit titled “That Was Then: An Architectural History of the Washington University Medical Center” is on display through Aug. 16 on the seventh floor of Bernard Becker Medical Library. Through a series of before-and-after photographs, the exhibit shows how the medical campus has changed over the past 100 years. One building in particular [Read more]
Archives and Rare Books
Margaret G. Smith, medical pioneer
Margaret Gladys Smith, MD, was the first woman to head a department at Washington University School of Medicine, serving as the de facto chair of the Department of Pathology after the sudden death of Howard A. McCordock, MD, in November 1938. Until the appointment of a new chair in July 1939, Smith led the department [Read more]
Archives and Rare Books
WWI Base Hospital’s Post-War Newsletters Now Available Online
Base Hospital 21 – the World War I U.S. military hospital base in Rouen, France that was staffed by doctors and nurses of the Washington University Medical Center and civilian volunteers from the St. Louis area – served with distinction during the war and after. Following the armistice ending the war on Nov. 11, 1918, [Read more]
Archives and Rare Books
The St. Louis Body-Snatchers
It reads like the beginning of a horror story. “At 8 o’clock Monday evening three very rough-looking men entered a saloon known as the ‘Gravois Cave’ on a corner opposite of the cemetery…The men remained only a few minutes and when they went out they separated going in different directions and leaving a light spring-wagon, [Read more]
Archives and Rare Books
Arshav Nushan: Immigrant, Orderly and Jazzerino
When the United States entered World War I, Base Hospital 21, the medical reserve unit based at the Washington University Medical Center, placed a call for volunteers as the U.S. had yet to institute the draft. There was a great response from the public. In a nation of immigrants, many enthusiastically joined up in support [Read more]