Interview with William R. Willard, June 25, 1984

Interview Summary

University of Kentucky Medical Center; Willard Family history; Willard's decision to enter the medical field; attending Yale Medical School; Willard's decision to enter the public health field; working for the Social Security Administration in 1937; accepting a position with the Maryland State Health Department in 1938; accepting a position at Yale in the School of Public Health; accepting the deanship at Syracuse University in 1951; recruitment to become dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky; Willard's first meeting with Governor A.B. "Happy" Chandler; Willard's decision to accept the position at the University of Kentucky in 1955; selecting the site for the University of Kentucky Medical Center; opposition to the establishment of a dental school; Joe Volker's involvement in designing the Dental School wing; Willard's team approach to building the Medical Center; the selection of Howard Bost-- Robert Straus; Alan Ross-- and Richard Noback; the recruitment of Al Morris for the College of Dentistry; designing the Medical Center; opposition of Morris Scherago to the Medical Center's establishment of a Department of Bacteriology; the reaction of the University of Louisville College of Medicine to the establishment of the University of Kentucky's Medical Center; public support in Lexington-- Kentucky for the Medical Center; involvement of Brick Chambers and Francis Massie; the recruitment of department chairs (William Knisely-- George Schwert-- Tihamer Csaky-- Kurt Deuschle-- Edmund Pellegrino-- Ben Eisman-- Peter Bosomworth); the Willard Committee on family practice; support of the Medical Center by Kentucky's governors; Willard's relationship with former University of Kentucky Presidents John W. Oswald and Otis A. Singletary; Willard's decision to leave Kentucky to establish another medical school at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa; working with Druid City Hospital; the recruitment of William Shamlon as chair of Surgery; Willard's relationship with UAB-Tuscaloosa President David Matthews; Willard's relationship with other UAB-Tuscaloosa departments; the McCall Report.

Interview Keyword

Health Services Medicine Physicians

Interview LC Subject

Academic medical centers University of Kentucky University of Kentucky--History Willard, William R., 1908- Willard, William R., 1908- --Interviews

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