Theodore K. Lawless facts for kids

Theodore Kenneth Lawless (born December 6, 1892 – died May 1, 1971) was an amazing American doctor. He was a skin specialist, a medical researcher, and a philanthropist. A philanthropist is someone who gives a lot of money and time to help others.

Dr. Lawless helped many different charities. He even created a special skin department at Beilinson Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel. He earned his medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School. He was also a very successful businessman and became a millionaire. In 1954, he received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP. This award is given every year to an African American who has achieved great things.

Early Life and Family

Theodore Kenneth Lawless was born on December 6, 1892. His hometown was Thibodeaux, Louisiana. His father, Alfred Lawless Jr., was a minister and a teacher. His mother, Harriet Dunn Lawless, was also a school teacher.

Soon after Theodore was born, his family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. When he was a boy, he earned his first money working in a New Orleans market. He made about $1 a day, which was a good amount back then!

Education and Learning

Dr. Lawless went to Straight College in New Orleans for high school. This college is now called Dillard University. After that, he attended Talladega College in Alabama. He earned his first degree there in 1914.

He then studied medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He also went to Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. He earned his medical degree (MD) in 1919. The next year, he got another degree (MS) in 1920.

In 1920, Dr. Lawless received a special award called the Rosenwald Fellow in Medicine. This award helped top Black medical students. He used this money to study even more. He did advanced studies at Columbia Medical School and Harvard Medical School. He also worked at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Lawless continued his learning in other countries. He studied skin care at the University of Paris in France. He also learned at the University of Freiburg in Germany and the University of Vienna in Austria. He later said that many of the doctors who helped him get these study opportunities were Jewish.

Medical Career and Business Success

After finishing his studies in 1924, Dr. Lawless returned to Chicago. He opened his own skin doctor's office on Chicago's South Side. This was a neighborhood where many Black families lived and needed medical care.

In the same year, he started teaching at Northwestern University Medical School. He taught there as a professor of skin care until 1941. He helped create the university's first medical labs. He also set up the first special lab just for skin conditions.

Dr. Lawless was the first Black member of Chicago's Board of Health in 1957. He was part of many important medical groups. These included the American Medical Association and the National Medical Association. In 1935, he became a certified expert in skin diseases. He also helped examine other doctors for the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Besides being a great doctor, Dr. Lawless was also a very smart investor and businessman. He became a multi-millionaire! He was a director at the Supreme Life Insurance Company. He also helped start and lead a bank called Service Federal Savings and Loan Association.

Helping Others: Philanthropy

Dr. Lawless gave a lot of his money to help others. Much of his charity work focused on starting skin care programs in Israel. In 1957, he donated $160,000 to help build the Lawless Department of Dermatology. This was a 35-bed skin care center at Beilinson Hospital near Tel Aviv, Israel.

He also created a summer camp program for talented Israeli children. This program helped them learn about science at the Weizmann Institute of Science. He also set up a lab for skin research at the Hebrew Medical School in Jerusalem, Israel. He became good friends with Chaim Weizmann, who was Israel's first president.

Dr. Lawless explained why he helped Israel and Jewish causes. He remembered a kind Jewish peddler from his childhood in New Orleans. He also remembered a Jewish professor who helped him at Columbia University. He felt he was "repaying a debt of gratitude" for the help he received. In the 1960s, he bought many Israel Bonds to support the country. In 1967, he gave money to help fix and restore old Biblical discoveries at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

He also supported other important places in the United States. He helped fund a science lab and lecture hall at Roosevelt University in Chicago. He also supported the Lawless Memorial Chapel at Dillard University in New Orleans. In 1959, he became the president of Dillard University's Board of Trustees.

In 1967, a large housing project in Chicago was named after him: the Theodore K. Lawless Gardens. He also led the board of trustees for Talladega College. He was a director for Youth Services of the B'nai B'rith Foundation.

Dr. Lawless passed away on May 1, 1971, at age 78. He left a large part of his money to help research institutions.

Awards and Recognition

Dr. Lawless received many awards for his amazing work. In 1929, he won the Harmon Award in Science for his excellent work in medicine.

In 1954, he received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP. This was for his contributions as a "physician, educator and philanthropist." In 1963, he won the Daniel H. Burnham Award from Roosevelt University.

Phi Beta Kappa gave him a Distinguished Service Award in 1966 for his "acts of charity and medical service." In 1967, he received an award from the University of Kansas and the Golden Torch Award from the City of Hope. In 1970, he received the Beatrice Caffrey Youth Service Merit Award.

He also received honors from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. He was given honorary degrees from several universities. These included Talldega, Howard University, Bethune-Cookman College, the University of Illinois, and Virginia State University.

A park in Cass County, Michigan, was named after him: Dr. T.K. Lawless Park. This park has many outdoor activities, like a 10-mile mountain bike trail and sports fields.

A painting of Dr. Lawless by Betsy Graves Reyneau is kept at the Smithsonian Institution in the National Portrait Gallery. This painting was part of a project to show important African Americans.