All 54 issues of the Washington University Medical Alumni Quarterly spanning the years 1937-1951 are now available online via Digital Commons@Becker.
The first editor of Washington University Medical Alumni Quarterly was the School of Medicine’s own Robert Terry (pictured left), head of the anatomy department and an 1895 graduate of Missouri Medical College (one of the medical school’s two predecessors). In addition to Terry’s decades of active membership with the Medical Alumni Association, his connection with the medical school for over forty years made him the ideal choice to manage this important assignment.
This quarterly journal was published by the Washington University Medical Alumni Association to serve as a means of communication between the school and its alumni. It was primarily utilized to share news and updates from the school, promote upcoming alumni events, and to publish letters from alumni and other contributions of interest to graduates of the school.
One interesting use of Washington University Medical Alumni Quarterly came in the early 1940s when alumni were frequently called upon to help students attending the School of Medicine during the World War II years. Calls for scholarship contributions and donations of microscopes and other supplies were frequently included in the quarterly during this time, as were updates on medical school staff serving overseas.
Full-text issues of the publication are now available for download in Digital Commons@Becker so that anyone can revisit these stories and many others. Digital Commons@Becker also has digitized issues of Washington Magazine dating from the 1950s to present day.