John Angelo Lester facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dr. John Angelo Lester
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | October 29, 1858 |
| Died | September 27, 1934 (aged 75) |
| Alma mater | Meharry Medical College |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Medical education |
John Angelo Lester was an important American educator, doctor, and leader in Nashville, Tennessee. He lived and worked there from 1895 to 1934. Dr. Lester taught about the human body at Meharry Medical College. He was even named a special "Professor Emeritus" in 1930, which means he was honored for his long and great service. He also held leadership roles in the National Medical Association and other medical groups in Tennessee. Tennessee was a key place for Black doctors after the Reconstruction Era.
Contents
Early Life and Family
John Angelo Lester was born in Lebanon, Tennessee, on October 29, 1858. His father, Austin Lester, was from Virginia, and his mother, Candace Donnell, was from Tennessee. In 1902, John Lester married Rebecca H. Taylor, who was also from Tennessee. Rebecca was a chiropodist, meaning she cared for feet, and she also ran a hair care business.
John Lester's Education
John Angelo Lester started his college preparation at Fisk University in 1883. While at Fisk, he was very active outside of classes. He helped check the school newspaper, the Fisk Herald, which was edited by W. E. B. Du Bois, who later became a famous writer and civil rights leader.
Lester also helped Fisk University build the first gymnasium among Historically Black colleges and universities. He did this by asking people in Nashville for donations. During the summer after his second year, Lester taught at a small country school in Tiptonville, Tennessee.
After graduating in 1890, John Lester worked as the secretary for the Fisk University YMCA for about a year. He then decided to continue teaching. He took a job as an instructor at Alcorn A&M College in Mississippi. There, he taught subjects like anatomy (the study of the body), botany (the study of plants), and zoology (the study of animals). He also helped students as a tutor.
By this time, other important Black medical education leaders noticed Lester's talent. Miles Vandahurst Lynk, who published the first medical journal run by Black people, even wrote about Lester joining the Meharry Medical Department. In 1895, Lester graduated from Meharry and became a certified doctor in Tennessee.
Working at Meharry Medical College
Dr. Lester dedicated much of his professional life to Meharry Medical College. In 1896, he began teaching physiology, which is the study of how the body works. He taught in both the Medical and Dental departments at Meharry. At that time, Meharry was a leading medical college for Black students in the South. It had already graduated many students in its nineteen years.
Lester used special scientific pictures and models to teach his students. Students relied on "the exact [Professor] Lester" to learn a lot from books. This was important because Black medical students often faced challenges. They were denied chances to intern at hospitals in Nashville because of racial discrimination. This started to change around 1900 when Dr. R. F. Boyd, a Meharry professor, opened Mercy Hospital. This hospital served the Nashville community, including Black people, and gave new Black doctors and nurses a place to train.
Dr. Lester strongly supported improving Meharry Medical College. He pushed for higher admission standards, better classes, and new facilities. He also helped with fundraising. These efforts helped Meharry become accredited and respected. During this time, many Black medical schools struggled to meet new standards set by the Flexner Report. This national survey was created by the Carnegie Foundation and the American Medical Association.
Lester's ideas about education were clear in his speeches at National Medical Association conferences. For example, in 1915, he spoke about "The Use and Abuse of Laboratory Findings." In 1917, he talked about "The Evolution of the Standard of Medical Education."
Lester was also part of the medical team that held free surgical clinics at Meharry. These yearly clinics helped many people in need get medical care from experienced Black surgeons. Dr. Daniel Hale Williams from Chicago and nurse superintendent Dr. Josie E. Wells from Nashville were among them. Students also practiced medicine and hygiene with patients. In 1909, Lester and his team performed more than twenty surgeries. Patients then recovered at Mercy Hospital and Wilson Infirmary.
Lester was a member of the Meharry Alumni Association's Executive Committee starting in 1898. This group helped raise money and bring Black medical professionals together. Lester traveled across the country to gather Meharry graduates and ask for donations. He helped raise money for the Hubbard Hospital in 1915 and the Meharry Endowment Fund in 1917.
In 1915, Lester became the dean of the Medical Department. He served in this role for fifteen more years. After that, he was given the special title of Professor Emeritus. Lester also oversaw every student's entry into Meharry as the registrar for many years.
National Medical Association and Other Groups
Because of racial segregation, Black doctors could not join medical societies for White doctors. So, in the 1890s, Black doctors began to form their own national group. John Lester was not at the very first meeting, but he was there in 1897. This meeting helped bring more support for the new group, which became the National Medical Association.
In 1903, thirty-four Black doctors founded the Negro Medical Congress of Tennessee. This group later became the Volunteer State Medical Association. Their meeting in Nashville even got attention from The New York Times. Important figures like Booker T. Washington and Nashville Mayor J. M. Head attended. At this meeting, Lester was chosen as the first president of the Negro Medical Congress.
Every year, Lester traveled to meetings of different state medical societies. He held leadership positions in several groups, including the Volunteer State Medical, Pharmaceutical and Dental Association, and the Tri-State Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Association.
Through these groups, Lester helped the public fight tuberculosis, a serious health problem at the time. Medical clinics and information meetings were held in churches and the few Black hospitals in the South. In 1913, Lester encouraged people to use the new Davidson County Tuberculosis Hospital. However, Black doctors, including Lester, were not allowed to practice in this public hospital, even though they were asked to support it.
Public Life and Community Work
John and Rebecca Lester were very active in Nashville's social life. Dr. Lester's medical office was on Cedar Street, right in the middle of Nashville's Black business area. He was surrounded by many businesses and groups, including the Boyd Building, which housed many fraternal organizations and the People's Savings Bank.
Lester also helped organize the Tennessee Colored Fair Association. This group held an annual outdoor fair at Greenwood Park, a private park owned by Black people. The Lesters did not have children of their own, but every Christmas, they invited a small group of orphans to their home for fun and gifts.
Lester was a lifelong member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In Nashville, he was an active member of the Colored Methodist Episcopal (CME) church. The CME church raised a lot of money for its school projects. In 1917, Lester was appointed to the Sunday School Board to oversee educational efforts in Nashville. In 1918, Lester also served on a committee that discussed uniting the CME, African Methodist Episcopal, and African Methodist Episcopal Zion Churches.
John Lester was also a trusted member of several fraternal orders, like the Knights of Friendship and the Knights of Tabor. Rebecca Lester also held important roles in women's fraternal groups, such as the Grand Court of Calanthe.
Military Service
Nashville was home to Company G, a special Black State Guard company recognized by the US Army. This company started in the 1870s because newly freed Black people wanted to be full citizens. Dr. J. A. Lester served as the Company Surgeon. This meant he was in charge of a company hospital during drills and camps for the sixty soldiers. Company G was highly praised for its drills and often performed for the Black community as a symbol of pride and patriotism.
When the US entered World War I, Lester took on other duties at home. He and other notable Black men were chosen to be "Four Minute Men." These public speakers gave short talks in local communities about the war, War-time Saving Bonds, and food rationing. Rebecca Lester also led a successful effort to collect donations and pledges for Nashville families affected by the war.
Death
Dr. John Angelo Lester passed away on September 27, 1934. He was the oldest teacher still working at Meharry Medical College at the time. He is buried in Mt. Ararat Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.
