Lillian Atkins Clark
Lillian Atkins Clark | |
|---|---|
 Lillian Atkins Clark, from a 1925 issue of The Crisis | |
| Born | Lillian Atkins April 29, 1897 Richmond, Virginia |
| Died | March 28, 1934 Hampton, Virginia, US |
| Occupation | Physician |
Lillian Atkins Clark (April 29, 1897 – March 28, 1934) was an American physician. She was the first African American woman to pass the National Board of Medical Examiners. She worked as a medical doctor in Philadelphia in hospitals and in her own practice.
Early life and education
[edit]Lillian Atkins was born in Richmond, Virginia, the daughter of Dr. William E. Atkins and Ida Binga Atkins of Hampton, Virginia.[1] Her father was a physician.[2] Her maternal grandfather was Anthony Binga Jr., a prominent black Baptist clergyman.[3][4] She attended Shaw University on a scholarship, where she had an excellent academic record.[5] She then studied at the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania and earned the school's Anatomy Prize.[6] She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.[3]
Career
[edit]Atkins passed the National Board of Medical Examiners in 1924 and was the first African American woman to pass the board.[5][7] She worked as chief resident physician at Frederick Douglass Memorial Hospital.[5] Her focus as a doctor was on women's and children's health and she also worked as an assistant to Nathan Francis Mossell, the hospital's medical director and superintendent.[5][8] Clark opened an office in North Philadelphia in 1925.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Lillian Atkins married Hugh T. Clark in 1923.[3] After being ill for nearly a year, Clark died at age 36 years, in Hampton, Virginia, where she had moved in with her mother.[9] She was buried in Elmerton Cemetery.[10] The disposition of her considerable estate was disputed in court, with her widower and her sister each claiming to be the chief legatee.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Horizon". The Crisis. 30: 29. May 1925 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ "Dr. Wm. E. Atkins, Colored, Dies in Home in Hampton". Daily Press. 1927-08-28. p. 15. Retrieved 2021-02-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Who's who in Colored America. Who's Who in Colored America Corporation. 1942. pp. 120–123.
- ^ Kneebone, John T. "Binga, Anthony, Jr. (1843–1919)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
- ^ a b c d e "Resident Physician". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1925-05-30. p. 11. Retrieved 2020-05-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Dr. Atkins' Daughter Locates in Philadelphia". Daily Press. 1925-05-03. p. 15. Retrieved 2020-05-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Part III in Philadelphia". National Board Bulletin. 2 (1): 1. August 1924.
- ^ "Dr. Lillian Atkins Clark". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1927-09-17. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-05-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Dr. Lillian Clark Dies in Hampton After Long Illness". The New York Age. 1934-03-31. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-05-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Deaths". Daily Press. 1934-03-23. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-05-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "$20,000 Estate of Woman Medic is Contested". Baltimore Afro-American. July 28, 1934. p. 21. Retrieved February 7, 2021 – via NewspaperArchive.com.