the higher reaches of the medical Establishment. The Establishment came to him. In an address to the American College of Surgeons in 1970, Dr. Daniel H. Funkenstein of Harvard Medical School stated, "It might be pertinent at this point to call attention to a surgeon who has had a Community Era attitude toward surgery for many years. Dr. Matthew Walker, this year's recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award of the National Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers, is such a man. Here is an example of a surgeon involved in delivering care and showing a true pioneer spirit long before the present emphasis began." In 1956 Dr. Walker performed surgery and demonstrated the use of radioactive gold in the treatment of cancer on the nationally televised program "Medical Horizons," and in 1973 his film on surgery for gastric carcinoma was one of six selected for
showing at the cine Clinic of the American College of Surgeons. He served as 54th president of the National Medical Association in 19541955 and was its 14th Distinguished Service Medalist in 1959. In 1973 he was named National Omega Man of the Year by the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Sigma Pi Phi fraternity. He held responsible posts on important boards and committees, local and national, which are too numerous to list; he also received many awards saluting his activities across the broad spectrum of his life. His wife, Alice Johnson Walker, was a devoted and constant support. They had four children: two daughters, Dr. Charlotte Rose Walker (who continues the family medical tradition) and Mrs. Maxine Walker Giddings, and two sons, Matthew, Jr, and Daniel Phillip.
There are four grandchildren. They all share a priceless heritage. During the 28 years this writer edited the Journial, it was possible to pay tribute to many outstanding figures and developments at Meharry.2 Yet, none stands taller than Matthew Walker. His stature will grow in the lengthening corridors of time-we shall not see his like again.
Acknowledgement The author is deeply grateful to Dr. Calvin C. Sampson and Dr. Marvin Jackson for their care-
ful review of this tribute.
Literature Cited 1. Chirurgical chairmanships change. J Natl Med Assoc (66)528-529, 1974 2. The New Meharry Number, J NatI Med Assoc, July 1973; The Harold D. West Basic Sciences Center Number, J Natl Med Assoc, July 1976; Meharry Centennial Number, J Natl Med Assoc, November, 1976
A Tribute to Matthew Walker-Surgeon Louis J. Bernard, MD Nashville, Tennessee
This issue of the Journal is dedicated, with affection, to Dr. Matthew Walker. To surgeons of my generation who are black, there is no need to elaborate on why he holds a special place among American surgeons. Younger surgeons, however, are frequently uncertain as to the basis for the esteem in which so many of their colleagues hold "The Chief." This note is addressed primarily to them. In March of 1944, when Matthew Walker suddenly became chairman of the Department of Surgery at Meharry's School of Medicine, he found himself heir to a troublesome new role. His predecessor, John Hale, had become a full-time faculty member only a few years before and had trained few
From the Department of Surgery, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee. Requests for reprints should be addressed to Dr. Louis J. Bernard, Department of Surgery, Meharry Medical College, 1005 18th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37208.
potential successors. There were no blacks certified by the American Board of Surgery, no blacks who were Fellows of the American College of Surgeons, and very few places where an aspiring black had a reasonable hope of obtaining first-rate surgical training. In this milieu, Matthew Walker proceeded to learn about the current state of the art in surgical practice and education by visiting the leading surgical centers of the country (at his own expense) and enlisting the support of colleagues across the country for his surgical program. He structured a graduate residency program acceptable to the American Board of Surgery and recruited to this program the best students he could find. His adage that "the student never flunks-the teacher fails to teach him" could not apply to his residents. There, in light of his teaching ability, the adages applicable in case of a problem situation had to be "you can't carve rotten wood" and "you can't make silk purses out of sows' ears." He took and
JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, VOL. 71, NO. 5, 1979
passed the certifying examination of the American Board of Surgery and became one of the first blacks inducted into Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons. Graduates of his surgical residency program were uniformly encouraged (and maybe occasionally browbeaten) into additional training, which he assisted them in obtaining. He did this in the hope that there would be no dearth of well trained and properly motivated surgeons to assist him in building a strong department, in improving surgical care for blacks, and ultimately in succeeding him in those tasks. The degree of Dr. Walker's success in these efforts is documented elsewhere in this issue (see Dr. Charles Brown's article). To the younger surgeons who are not acquainted with the paucity of opportunity in American surgery in the 1940s and 1950s must be brought the fact that Matthew Walker's accomplishment is the more remarkable in that he did it largely alone. 507
showing at the cine Clinic of the American College of Surgeons. He served as 54th president of the National Medical Association in 19541955 and was its 14th Distinguished Service Medalist in 1959. In 1973 he was named National Omega Man of the Year by the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Sigma Pi Phi fraternity. He held responsible posts on important boards and committees, local and national, which are too numerous to list; he also received many awards saluting his activities across the broad spectrum of his life. His wife, Alice Johnson Walker, was a devoted and constant support. They had four children: two daughters, Dr. Charlotte Rose Walker (who continues the family medical tradition) and Mrs. Maxine Walker Giddings, and two sons, Matthew, Jr, and Daniel Phillip.
There are four grandchildren. They all share a priceless heritage. During the 28 years this writer edited the Journial, it was possible to pay tribute to many outstanding figures and developments at Meharry.2 Yet, none stands taller than Matthew Walker. His stature will grow in the lengthening corridors of time-we shall not see his like again.
Acknowledgement The author is deeply grateful to Dr. Calvin C. Sampson and Dr. Marvin Jackson for their care-
ful review of this tribute.
Literature Cited 1. Chirurgical chairmanships change. J Natl Med Assoc (66)528-529, 1974 2. The New Meharry Number, J NatI Med Assoc, July 1973; The Harold D. West Basic Sciences Center Number, J Natl Med Assoc, July 1976; Meharry Centennial Number, J Natl Med Assoc, November, 1976
A Tribute to Matthew Walker-Surgeon Louis J. Bernard, MD Nashville, Tennessee
This issue of the Journal is dedicated, with affection, to Dr. Matthew Walker. To surgeons of my generation who are black, there is no need to elaborate on why he holds a special place among American surgeons. Younger surgeons, however, are frequently uncertain as to the basis for the esteem in which so many of their colleagues hold "The Chief." This note is addressed primarily to them. In March of 1944, when Matthew Walker suddenly became chairman of the Department of Surgery at Meharry's School of Medicine, he found himself heir to a troublesome new role. His predecessor, John Hale, had become a full-time faculty member only a few years before and had trained few
From the Department of Surgery, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee. Requests for reprints should be addressed to Dr. Louis J. Bernard, Department of Surgery, Meharry Medical College, 1005 18th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37208.
potential successors. There were no blacks certified by the American Board of Surgery, no blacks who were Fellows of the American College of Surgeons, and very few places where an aspiring black had a reasonable hope of obtaining first-rate surgical training. In this milieu, Matthew Walker proceeded to learn about the current state of the art in surgical practice and education by visiting the leading surgical centers of the country (at his own expense) and enlisting the support of colleagues across the country for his surgical program. He structured a graduate residency program acceptable to the American Board of Surgery and recruited to this program the best students he could find. His adage that "the student never flunks-the teacher fails to teach him" could not apply to his residents. There, in light of his teaching ability, the adages applicable in case of a problem situation had to be "you can't carve rotten wood" and "you can't make silk purses out of sows' ears." He took and
JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, VOL. 71, NO. 5, 1979
passed the certifying examination of the American Board of Surgery and became one of the first blacks inducted into Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons. Graduates of his surgical residency program were uniformly encouraged (and maybe occasionally browbeaten) into additional training, which he assisted them in obtaining. He did this in the hope that there would be no dearth of well trained and properly motivated surgeons to assist him in building a strong department, in improving surgical care for blacks, and ultimately in succeeding him in those tasks. The degree of Dr. Walker's success in these efforts is documented elsewhere in this issue (see Dr. Charles Brown's article). To the younger surgeons who are not acquainted with the paucity of opportunity in American surgery in the 1940s and 1950s must be brought the fact that Matthew Walker's accomplishment is the more remarkable in that he did it largely alone. 507
