Charles Richard Drew

June 3, 1904 - April 1, 1950
Father of the Blood Bank

Charles R. Drew was a surgeon, teacher, and researcher. He is most famous as the founder of two of the world’s largest blood banks. His research on and discovery of techniques for storing and shipping plasma saved many lives during World War II. He was the first African-American surgeon to serve as an examiner on the American Board of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University and, in 1940, he became the first African-American to receive a Doctor of Science degree from Columbia University. Drew served as medical supervisor of “Blood for Britain” and director of the American Red Cross Blood Bank in New York, where he initiated the bloodmobile. Outraged that the US Army and Navy, after appointing him to organize a massive 100,000+ donor blood drive, demanded that blood be typed according to race and that blood from African-American donors be refused, Drew resigned his position. He was later honored with a portrait at the Clinical Center of National Institutes of Health in 1976, the first African-American to be honored in that way. In 1980, the US Postal Service released a “Great Americans” stamp series with one stamp featuring Dr. Drew.

Drew

Lillian D. Wald

March 10, 1867 - September 1, 1940
Nurse and Social Advocate

Lillian D. Wald was a social reformer and nursing advocate. She initially worked with poor immigrant families in New York’s Lower East Side which led her to establish her practice, the Henry Street Settlement (later Visiting Nurse Service of New York City). She advocated for nurses in public schools, and her ideas were instrumental in leading the New York Board of Health to found the world’s first public nursing system. She also championed a national health insurance, founded Columbia University’s School of Nursing, established the US Children’s Bureau, and advocated for the disabled. She campaigned for civil rights and helped to establish the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. Wald was a vocal advocate for women’s suffrage and protested the United States' entry into World War I.

Wald