Joel Buchanan Archive of African American History: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/ohfb
Samuel Proctor Oral History Program
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Program Director: Dr. Paul Ortiz 241 Pugh Hall PO Box 115215 Gainesville, FL 32611 (352) 392-7168 https://oral.history.ufl.edu
AAHP 251 LaKay Banks African American History Project (AAHP) Interviewed by Ryan Morini and Keilani Jacquot on February 17, 2012 1 hour and 2 minutes | 30 pages
Abstract: In this interview, Mrs. LaKay Banks recounts her life growing up in Tallahassee and her experiences being married to the first and only Black doctor in Gainesville. She grew up in a middle class neighborhood with her father as an auto- mechanic teacher at FAMU and her mother as a teacher in multiple high schools. Growing up, she was a member of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, with Reverend Charles Kenzie Steele as the pastor. In terms of her education, Mrs. Banks attended FAMU High School and the University of Florida. Her husband was the only Black doctor in Gainesville for many years. Mrs. Banks worked with community and medical groups throughout her adult life, including the Alachua County Medical Alliance.
Keywords: [African American History; Tallahassee; FAMU; Reverend Charles Kenzie Steele; North Florida Regional Hospital]
For information on terms of use of this interview, please see the SPOHP Creative Commons license at http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AfricanAmericanOralHistory. AAHP 251 Interviewee: LaKay Banks Interviewer: Ryan Morini and Keilani Jacquot Date: February 17, 2012
M: This is Ryan Morini, from the Sam Proctor Oral History Program. I am here with
Mrs. LaKay Banks and Keilani Jacquot on—let’s see what is it—Friday, February
17th, 2012. [phone rings] Perfect timing. If we might begin with when and where
you were born.
B: I was born in Tallahassee, Florida December the 1st , the year 1937.
M: Tallahassee. Were you born—where were you born, in a hospital?
B: At the university. I wasn’t born in the University of Florida. At FAMU University.
[laughter] My father taught at the university and my mother taught in a high
school there, so we lived on the campus. We—I think we were renting a house
from FAMU University.
M: Okay. What did your father teach?
B: He taught auto-mechanics.
M: Auto-mechanics, okay. And then what was the name of the school that your
mother taught in?
B: Oh mother, in high school she taught to me because she taught for forty-five
years, so it was a multiplicity of schools.
M: Okay, wow that’s a long time, forty-five years. I mean, was there a lot of pressure
towards education when you were growing up or what was the household like?
B: In my house?
M: Uh-huh.
B: Well there were four children, three of them college graduates. Miss Marty’s child
didn’t graduate. He got into a multiplicity of things out of high school. He had five AAHP 251; Banks; Page 2
cars when he when he graduated. I guess he thought money was easier, making
it without going to college. But education was emphasized very much.
M: What was your neighborhood like in Tallahassee.
B: Very, very middle class.
M: Middle class, okay.
B: And everybody either taught or worked at the university. We had a few doctors in
the neighborhood and a few people that worked in the school—in the high school
system so it was really a very middle class neighborhood.
M: Okay and it was that basically where your social activities were when you were
growing up?
B: No, my social activities were at mine high school, which was FAMU high school
or at the University of Florida. Because I knew most of the university people;
when I was in seventh or eighth grade I was participating in the dance recital.
Whenever they needed a little girl—I would participate and there was something
going on. So I was really a fortunate gal in that I knew the professors there and
they could utilize me to do whatever they needed to do then. I had a lot of
exposure to FAMU when I was in elementary school.
M: What was the school like itself? What—
B: Well it was a demonstration to FAMU Heights School. The same very much at
P.K. Young—all of my children went to P.K. It was not—I forgot what I was
gonna—it was a derivative of FAMU, it was just the baby child to FAMU.
M: Fair enough, fair enough. Did you have a favorite subject in school when you
were going up? AAHP 251; Banks; Page 3
B: Did I have a what?
M: Favorite subject in school?
B: Ah, no. [Laughter]
M: Any favorite teachers or—?
B: Not really, I liked all of them. I knew all of them and I liked all of them. So far as
having one that was very outstanding I can’t recall.
M: I see. I guess it might be different if the high schools was sort of connected to
university but here in Gainesville, people describe the community relationship to
Lincoln High as kind of a center for community activities that what the school was
like in your neighborhood or was it kind of a different situation or—?
B: My school, as I said, being a derivative of the University of Florida, I’m sorry
FAMU, boy my brother would kill me. Everything that was handed down from
FAMU came from FAMU High School or FAMU demonstration school, we had
both. The elementary school was used mostly for FAMU demonstration school
and then the high school was FAMU High. So everything that was handed down,
some good and some bad, some we did want and some we didn’t want came
from FAMU. If I recall, my school was not, I don’t think it was a state school. I
know it was different from the public school. We were not a public school, I can
safely say that.
M: Okay, okay.
B: And we were the only school there with everything that [inaudible 6:29].
M: I see, I see. AAHP 251; Banks; Page 4
B: We didn’t have any bus transportation. Not any built cafeteria and whenever the
public schools had [inaudible 6:39] cut off from the—so we had to fend for
ourselves.
M: I see. Cut off from access to the public—
B: Well some monetary use that might come in or could [inaudible 6:58] getting a
bus to go that had to be done. In other words, either through the university or
through our parents. We just weren’t funded like the public schools because
we’re not public schools.
M: I see. I mean, did that have any kind of dividing effect?
B: Oh no, no, no. It was just a way that things were written and done.
M: Okay. Well did you interact much with the public school kids?
B: Oh yes we did because we played them in football. Our school was a private
school sort of because we only had a few hundred students. When I graduated I
think there was only 37 and the other school had a 1,000. It was a small school
and so I guess you can call it almost a private school.
M: Sounds like, sounds like it. What kinds of subjects did they teach? Did they teach
anything else?
B: All of the basic stuff. That was what? That was 60 years ago [laughter] That’s a
long time.
M: I suppose so, I suppose so. Well and so what was your life like growing up a
household? I mean, did you have a lot of chores growing up or was it basically
focused on your homework? AAHP 251; Banks; Page 5
B: I didn’t have a lot of chores. Both of my parents worked and then my
grandmother lived with us so she did all the cooking. So there was nothing left
there to give me, just a matter of basics. Even through high school, being in
various activities, it was very different, very much.
M: I see—I guess I should ask—what were you parent’s names?
B: Nevada—my mother was Nevada Beasley and my daddy was Sylvester Beasley
Senior.
M: I see, and your grandmother, who lived with you. Which side was she on?
B: She was my mother’s mother.
M: Okay and what was her name?
B: Annie Davis.
M: Okay, so where were your parents from originally? Like did they come from the
Tallahassee area?
B: My mother came from Georgia. My father came from Alabama.
M: Okay and how—
B: And the both came to FAMU, I think they met at FAMU. My father was the
captain of the football team his four years of college. He must’ve been pretty
good [laughter] and my mother was just a lovely lady.
M: I see. So let’s see, did you go to church growing up?
B: Oh yeah [laughter] yes.
M: Cool. So what was your church?
B: [Inaudible 10:16]
M: What faith? What was the name? AAHP 251; Banks; Page 6
B: It was a [inaudible 10:22] in Tallahassee Devout Baptist Church, it was a Baptist
church. Well known church, Revered C.K. Steel was my pastor if you look, he
was probably too young to have heard of him. Very active in the Civil Rights
movement, very active and he was well-known.
M: Yeah, I have heard the name actually. Well so, how long did you live in
Tallahasee?
B: I lived there for the 21 years, from my birth through graduating. As a matter of
fact when I graduated from college my husband, I had met him my senior year of
college. My husband is thirteen years older than me. He was a general
practitioner, he worked in Gainesville and came up for medical meetings at the
[inaudible 11:18] Black because he was Afro-American. Couldn’t go to Caucasian
medical meetings so we had our own room for a Black classroom was having
their meetings but we had one at FAMU or the University of Florida. And I met
him up there and we—that was in February, we got married the next January. So
anyway when I graduated in June, I graduated and took off in our honeymoon.
M: And then you’ve been married how long now?
B: Fifty-four years.
M: Wow.
B: We could put your two ages together and still it wouldn’t hit it.
M: Well, that’s impressive, very impressive.
B: Well so what was it like to go to the church—I guess you weren’t there in the
[19]60s but in the [19]50s were there still conversations going on as you were
going through high school and college in terms of Civil Rights? AAHP 251; Banks; Page 7
B: Oh boy. When I was—you probably haven’t heard of Jesse McLaren, Willy
George Allen. Willy George graduated from Law School at the University of
Florida. Jesse McLaren, I don’t know where he went to school but he was the
acting, he acted for a while on some gubernatorial position but we were all in
school together, they were two boys, you know how young boys are. I never
thought they’d get out of college and I really thought they’d never be anything
very prominent doctors—not doctors, lawyers. I think Jesse has given—look at
George Allen has given the University of Florida $100,000 just in donations or
whatever, some kind of gift but we were all in school together and this was during
the time of the march. When like I was saying, when, you know how young
people retaliate when I bus would come through, all the students would run out
and shake it out and I’ll never forget that. But usually young boys and then
young—we had some young fellows that are generals now. I know one of my
classmates is a general but he was one of the ones that I’d met just you know
being a boy, you know, scary and being outspoken. But I had good students in
my class and during that time we were very active, very active ‘cause we didn’t
ride the bus for some reason. I didn’t have to ride the bus. I think I was the only
student in college who had a car. When I went to college—about two of us—and
we went in my car to go to class; there was one boy up there that had a car. Can
you imagine with the—one boy and he was the most popular boy around.
Everybody else had to walk downtown or walk back, which wasn’t that far. But it
just shows you how times have changed. If it’s only one student at the campus it
doesn’t have a car, if that. But those were the days, those were the days. We AAHP 251; Banks; Page 8
were much closer and for some reason and I had never thought about it we were
very close. Now I lived in the city, as I said my family and I—guess I’m glad I did
because of the number of things of. . . I didn’t have to borrow any money. You
know how you kids have to borrow money and then pay it back and try to have to
go through it like that. I’ve never did get that college life because somehow we
didn’t because when I graduated, when I went to march, half the kids I didn’t
even know and they were my classmates. We had been in school for four years
and plus, I was a sheltered child. My father—I didn’t get out very much. I could
tell a lot of stories about that, but that’s enough about all that [laughter].
M: Fair enough. Well, were you confronted much with the segregation you grew up
with or were you kind of sheltered from that as well growing up?
B: I didn’t understand.
M: Sorry-
B: I don’t hear very well.
M: Well you grew up in segregated society, did you run up against those barriers
very often growing up?
B: Yeah, but not many, surprisingly not as many as most of my friends. Why? I don’t
know. I just remember once we were traveling in a car and I wanted to go the
bathroom at a gas station and fellow told me I couldn’t use it. He didn’t tell me
why. Of course I was eighteen or nineteen, I said I’ll pull my gun being a big
[inaudible 16:27] whatever. But anyway, I didn’t run into. Why? I don’t know.
Why? I don’t know but I didn’t run into much in segregated area. And I was
exposed to it I guess but I didn’t and I guess I’m glad. Even when I moved to AAHP 251; Banks; Page 9
Gainesville, but once I moved here I was the only doctor’s wife—Black, Afro-
American doctor’s wife—so that put me on a certain level that much respected by
Afro-Americans and by that. With him being the only Black, you know one of
anything, don’t give me three or four, that’s when we have trouble. Him being all
his life, a doctor here for 25 years, it hasn’t been hard at all. So I participated, I
did what I could but it was mostly—but I was not affected by it; it was because of
the need and because of the purpose that I did it most but I was not affected.
M: So that’s—I mean some of this might come up again but if we get back to where
did your husband grow up?
B: He grew up in Orlando.
M: Okay.
B: Both of his parents were principals and they travelled around a lot. Why they
traveled around I don’t know but they stayed around the Florida area; but
Orlando or Palatka, they were principals in Palatka and he was born in Tyler,
Texas. And he left there and went away to school, decided to do it here and then
on to medical school and then back here.
M: Where did he go to college and medical school?
B: He went to Howard for medical and that’s it. There were only two Afro-Americans
medical school so . . . it was one or the other [laughter]
M: So he did some travelling in his own I guess, from Texas to Florida, up to
Howard.
B: Most of it I think it was with his parents. I think when he got back, of course when
he went away to college he was sort of on his own and with money being as it AAHP 251; Banks; Page 10
was, during the summer he would work and during the fall he was in school. He
was trying to work during the summer so he would help pay for his schooling.
M: I see. Do you know what kinds of jobs he did?
B: No, but they were labor jobs, yeah. I know once he was working in a restaurant
and some White lady asked if he’d come and dance with her. He said, ma’am I
am the only Black man that can’t dance, he had no talent and it was so
embarrassing too. You know you can’t go all Black [inaudible 20:18] and dance.
But he said, I cannot and he was thoroughly and he still can’t. But I’ll never forget
when he told me that. But wherever he could find a good job too that would help
him with his education.
M: I see, I see. So how did he end up in Gainesville?
B: There was a doctor in Palatka that told him to come back and he could practice
down here with him and Dr. Long, Jimmy Long, and he came back, went to
Palatka and stayed over there I guess for about a year and found that Palatka is
not a growing town. It never has and he found that he thought he could be more
productive, he might have looked into whatever and decided to come over here.
As I said, there had been one other Afro—American doctor here. But he, after he
left here couldn’t get hospital privilege. My husband was the first Black doctor to
get hospital privileges here; so when he came over he was the only Black doctor
and he had tried to lure more in 25 years but not many. I mean we’ve had Black
graduate from medical school. Well, they like the Jacksonville area or the Miami
area. You know they wanna be close enough to still have a little night life and
that’s not very—but we have the university here, we have a lot of cultural AAHP 251; Banks; Page 11
activities but he just couldn’t hand the [inaudible 21:59]. And we have some that
have been very good friends of him. We’ve helped a lot of students through
school but yet they wanna go to other places.
M: Yeah that’s quite a challenge. When did he arrive here in Gainesville? Was
that—
B: I think it was [19]48 if it happened.
M: Okay and so you met him in FAMU.
B: I met him in FAMU, uh-huh.
M: Where did you go in you honeymoon?
B: We went to New York, to the Waldorf Astoria.
M: Oh really?
B: Uh-huh. I won’t forget that one [laughter].
M: I’m sure. Was that your first time up to New York?
B: It was my first time. I was not a world-traveled girl either, just out of college.
M: I see. Was it his as well or had he been to New York before?
B: Had I been before?
M: Had he? Your husband been before?
B: Oh yeah, in 13 years, well number one he went to a lot of medical meetings. We
have national medical meetings all over the United States every year. He was
single then, and we have state medical meetings we had them, now that things
are integrated we have gone in with theother organizations but at that time like I
said, we were our own body and we don’t forget that either when we put the chin
up. Somebody asked me—my children were at P.K. and I could tell they were AAHP 251; Banks; Page 12
talking to a Chinese man. He said, where did you go to school? I said,
Tallahassee. He said, you went to FSU? I said, no I couldn’t go to FSU during the
time.
M: What kinds of things did you do on your honeymoon up there? Did you guys go
to Broadway or anything like that?
B: Well we went to shows. We were only up there I think, four days. I was in their
[inaudible 24:18] so we basically went to shows and out to eat and things of that
nature and you know, saw various sights there. And that’s been 54 years ago.
My God, I can’t remember more [laughter].
M: Well did you move to Gainesville straight away from that?
B: When did I move?
M: Yeah, when did you move to Gainesville?
B: I moved the day I graduated from college.
M: Which was? Do you remember the year?
B: I graduated in [19]59.
M: [19]59-
B: Uh-huh in [19]58-[19]59 okay, uh-huh.
M: Did you guys live here at that time or is this the area?-
B: Oh yes, my husband has built this—it was a bachelor’s he thought—I don’t know
what he though about when I moved in here [laughter]. This was a bachelor’s
house. He had the swimming pool we regret dearly. We redone the kitchen but
this was just, really, a bachelor’s house in here in how many years? I 2-3 years AAHP 251; Banks; Page 13
we had two more babies, we were adding on to within 2 years, plus family and all
of that. So I moved into this house.
M: I see, I see. It’s a very nice house I gotta say.
B: Well it’s old, it’s really 55 years old.
M: It’s got a good character to it.
B: We had a good architect. Very good, he was an alcoholic and he died but he was
an excellent architect.
M: What was his name?
B: I think David Reeves but I let him [inaudible 26:09].
M: Well if you remember it—
B: I will, when you leave [laughter]
M: That’s always the way. Was he from Gainesville?
B: Oh he lived here. I don’t know if he was from Gainesville but of course he had his
office here, real, yeah.
M: What did you do once you got here to Gainesville?
B: Most of my time was done with community work, civic work, political work, that’s
all I really had. I never worked in my life; just working with the community and the
church and organization, things of that nature. That’s basically what I’ve done.
I’ve worked with the medical groups state-wise, nationally, and didn’t work too
much for kids because they had an organization and we had them in slowly so—
and I worked with the Alachua County medical alliance, which is the group. My
husband became Emeritus with the organization because he had been a
member for so long. He was a founding trustee at North Florida Regional and like AAHP 251; Banks; Page 14
I said, the first Afro American to get hospital privileges and the first Afro—
American to be accepted into Gainesville Golf and Country Club and there are a
few other persons but I didn’t know what you’re gonna talk about again.
M: Well that’s up you what you want to or not but [phone rings] so I just wanted to
make a note of that. Well so you got involved—when you moved here what was
the church you went to when you got here?
B: The what?
M: When you moved here, what was the church you started going to?
B: Rita Bethel, it’s an A&E church and he was on the trustee board, we both were
on the trustee board.
M: Okay and what kinds of community organization did you get involved?
B: Oh my goodness [laughter] oh don’t ask me. I have a list of them but I can’t
remember.
M: Okay if I remember, I spoke to Jane Chalmers a while ago, and she said that
you, and she, and some other people were involved in starting off the nursery
school. I don’t know if—
B: I tried to enroll my son. He was my second child, I don’t remember where my first
was child was at the time, daycare or whatever, and they wouldn’t accept him. So
we decided—three of us had decided—we would star our own daycare and a
vicarious filled in me—listen Jan Chalmers is a smart gal. She’s very outspoken
and very aggressive. But we did get into that and I think we did a pretty good job
too because it is still in existence now.
M: So what are the kinds of things that you’d get involved within the community? AAHP 251; Banks; Page 15
B: Well my sorority, I’m a charter member of that. I’m a life member within the ACP.
I’m a charter member of Links Inc. I worked on various committees for hipping
because nobody had head of that. I worked with the One Church, One Child
which is adoption of babies that need families and homes and I’m gonna omit a
lot of them I can’t tell. I told you, don’t ask me.
M: All right, all right. So what was it like to move from Tallahassee to—
B: Very little, very little difference. Family in Tallahassee is so much like Gainesville,
to me that it was just a matter of moving from one house to another, really. So far
as the town and the activities, both of them have university so you have exposure
to cultural events and to educational and all those kinds of things. FAMU,
Tallahassee has a few more because they have FSU up there too, so you can
sort of split yourself but I didn’t see any difference. I never had and I’ve often
thought about that too but I have not seen a big difference at all.
M: Interesting.
B: We have gotten involved with the Harn Museum, the donor of that Dr. Cofrinwas
my husband’s best-friend. So we got involved with one of the founding members
of that affair and my husband worked on a scholarship to the Zora Neale Hurston
Fund. I guess talked to the young lady there [laughter] Ms. Jenkins. I can
remember Jenkins better here. He worked from that scholarship to raise funding
for that and he had a scholarship at the University of Florida for medicine that
renewed the scholarship every—well it given one the first year and we thought
we’d give them a few thousand dollars every year to help them instead of giving
one to a gifted student every year. We give them this one and we follow them AAHP 251; Banks; Page 16
[inaudible 32:33]. It has given us closeness, like a mother to her [inaudible 32:40]
if she has a problem, you know, they come or she needs your [inaudible 32:44],
does she haven’t it yet. So it’s a nice relationship. My husband, when they gave a
tribute to him, he worked for 47 years and when they had a tribute for him, they
decided to start a scholarship in the name of him and I think he retired in
[19]95—I think—it’s been going on for a while.
M: So there’s one thing that keeps coming up is the issue of universities of course. I
mean under segregation the influence of the university and the town seems to
have been complex. I know that speaking to people who grew up and lived here;
UF’s influence was not always a good thing or sometimes it was a very distant—I
mean a very separate thing. What was the relationship to you growing up
perceptually with FSU?
B: With FSU?
M: FSU not FAMU.
B: There was none at that time. There was no integration. It was FAMU. As a matter
of fact we couldn’t get mad at the football games because we couldn’t play each
other so we were friends. Knowing we couldn’t go over there, knowing they
couldn’t come over us. So without that FSU—University of Florida basketball,
and football kind of eerie in there, we were friends [laughter] and we didn’t go
over there. No, we didn’t except to work. You know, I remember I had a job over
there, answering the telephone during the summer when I was out of school; 50
cents an hour. I’d get over there and get back but I won’t forget that. It was just AAHP 251; Banks; Page 17
about simple as answering the telephone but that was the extent of us going over
there.
M: I see well-
B: After I left my job, I didn’t go over there anymore.
M: I understand that. What about moving to Gainesville with UF, I mean did you
interface much with UF after you moved here or you were working with
community organizations?
B: Well times were a little different, they weren’t that much different. This is still
[19]59. I worked with the NAACP very much so then but times had grown as half
as much as they’ve grown now so there wasn’t very much more interaction than
when I left up there in the [19]50s, coming here in the early [19]60s. Progress
was just being made and it was a slow progress too.
M: Did you or your husband follow the efforts of any of the prospective Black student
who were trying to enter the University of Florida?
B: Oh yeah, my husband was on the admissions committee for the Medical School
at the University of Florida. They used him a lot. They used him in recruiting
Black basketball players and football players. So he was on the selection
committee who wanted to the coaches, can’t think of the coaches’ name now.
But when they recruited him, he lost his first ten games. But he was—kind of
good luck, he knew the president and as an Afro—American they knew that they
could call him, you know. You don’t know but so many and he would want
something from you, and I guess there were some others too. It’s not like now, AAHP 251; Banks; Page 18
they’re hundreds that you can call now because they are known and they are
various capacities at the university.
M: Yeah, really big difference. I mean, did you two go to any of the football games or
any of those kinds of activities?
B: Oh my God. My husband had a season ticket. He was the only little Black man
out there, sitting in the end zone. He wouldn’t give—we travelled with the team.
As a matter of fact, they gave us a free ticket from Miami and back for one of the
games—I forgot what [inaudible 37:32] to a hotel. But we didn’t miss many
games, whenever he couldn’t make it. If you talked about it and then went to all
the basketball games too but that football, my God. He gave them his time.
M: Sounds that way. Did you ever go to Fifth Avenue back in that time or any of the
other—?
B: I went. You know I didn’t go into [inaudible 38:00] to go to a bar. I didn’t even go
ahead and eat, then and of course it wasn’t as furbished as it is now because
they have done a lot of fixing up and whatever else they had. It was a lot more
honkey-doke back them; of course we’re talking about fifty years ago. It has
improved in arts a lot, since then. But we would ride through if I had to go over
there to get something. But it wasn’t a place that I’d frequent.
M: Okay. What about the—I guess your husband had been practicing medicine here
for a while before you moved here. Do you remember what kinds of challenges
he faced in terms of practicing effective medicine with the community?
B: Oh my goodness, yes. He, well number one: Black babies. He was the OBGYN,
a physician then and the Black babies were separated from the White babies in AAHP 251; Banks; Page 19 the delivery room. They would have—I don’t know where they kept them but they couldn’t be together. Had a few problems with White patients not wanting to be in the same room with Black patients. And a few discrepancies you could see within the hospital that made patients inferior to each other—feel, or try to make them inferior to each other. I was trying to think of one incident that—I have it in the tip of my tongue—I don’t know maybe something at the hospital bathroom, like we were not important. I can’t think of that other thing, oh yeah. We went to a medical meeting and Cullen had to get 32 doctors to cover for him for this one, because he couldn’t get any of them to cover for him any longer than maybe a day. But I’ll never forget it. He said he had to get 32 available for a few hours and that was some kind of—and then when he wanted to reciprocate, he couldn’t because no Whites wanted to go to a Black doctor. So there was no way that he could, you know, reciprocate. So if you can’t do that you don’t want to bother others that much. There was one doctor—Dr. Baggers, I think it was, Dr.
Banks—I only remember Dr. Banks and Dr. Baggers that [inaudible 41:16] still here now. When somebody called Dr. Baggers after that, and he said, I am not
[laughter] and I won’t say anymore. But all of the doctors loved him. He was just that kind of man, all of them. He had that kind of personality because he could identify with the highest and the lowest and never bothered him and he was just loved. If I include doctors like that. A lot of them have their own personalities, they think their better than Jesus and don’t have any time for you and don’t any time for anybody, but he loved everybody. [background noise] AAHP 251; Banks; Page 20
M: Seems like he was an extraordinary person and still is. Oh it’s the clock. Did he—
since he was practicing medicine in a segregated community did he notice any
particular medical challenges like this that people were facing because of the
situations they were in or was it pretty much the same as after?
B: You mean—
M: The kinds of medical problems that were challenging the community itself that
came out. Did he see a lot of that at the hospital?
B: He never talked about that too much—about any challenges—of course if he had
one, he would always consult another doctor. Our confer with or whatever
because he had a lot of friends. But no, I don’t recall.
M: Okay. Who were some of your friends when you moved to town? Some of the
people you worked real closely with, that is?
B: That he worked closely with?
M: Well, both of you. I mean—
B: Well, he was in the office with a dentist who was a very good friend of his. All of
the doctors were his friends and he had a lot of other friends. Let’s see. . . he
didn’t have to many Afro-American professors at the university back in the
[19]60s of course, they started getting them in the [19]70s. I think most of his
friends and of course—my husband Is 87—so most of them have died or they’re
very sick but he was in a rotation, a practice, with three other White doctors and
most of his good friends were golfers. He loved golf so they were most of his
friends. AAHP 251; Banks; Page 21
M: And he—it must’ve been challenging to be a Black golfer at that time in terms
of—
B: Well I’ll tell you one joke real quick. He took two of his golfing buddies up to
Williston and they went in, paid their money and came out. So when they came
out with two White doctors, said that the pro at that the pro shack said, when y’all
come back, don’t bring him with you. And they said, no, he brought us. So it
wasn’t a matter colored bringing him; colored brought them out there so tell him,
don’t bring us [laughter]. But he didn’t have—except trying to get in at the golf
and country club—why he wanted to get in out there, I don’t know. But when he
got in, everybody loved him. He was just that type of person. Warm and whatever
you have to get to know a person. And really one they can accept a little bit, but
don’t give me anymore than that. So he didn’t have too much trouble.
M: I see, I see. If I understood, talking to some other people; he and I think Willy
Harrison, maybe some other people used to fly out to places—?
B: Oh really?
M: Is that correct? They used to fly out to other places to go golfing?
B: Oh yeah, oh they would go. As a matter of fact, his best friend Phil Barton, they
played all the time. They would fly from here to Nassau just to play golf. Phil
Barton had a plane and Phil flew too. Oh yeah, they would put it in in to do
anything. As they said, Phil bought me many Cadillac’s—no he bought me many
Mercedes and my husband bought his wife many Cadillac’s because they’d
probably bet it like fast. You probably didn’t want to see them—you’re present AAHP 251; Banks; Page 22
didn’t come home. How much did you lose today [laughter] but we never did go
there.
M: And you’re husband flew, is that correct? I mean he was a pilot? How did he get
the pilot’s license?
B: He took private lessons here.
M: Here in Gainesville? And how often did he fly?
B: Not that often, he couldn’t. He didn’t have the time. He was a member of the
rotary club and they put him out because he couldn’t make the meetings. The
rotary club met at 12 o’clock and he had an office full of patients and he couldn’t
leave his patients. I mean, he could have but he wouldn’t. So I guess they just
put him out. And then later on, he got a rotary. He had the Rotarian honor. He
said, ya’ll put me out and give me an honor [laughter] but no, he was quite busy.
M: Well so what kinds of trips would he take flying? What would be the occasion to
go?
B: Well, we flew to Nassau and we flew to, we’d fly to Miami. We didn’t go—most of
his flies was just around Gainesville, take his son. I’d take his family and he just
fly around Gainesville. So far he’d fly to New York and he’d used the Cessna’s
and the twins and the single Indians, which is a single living boy. We were just
fortunate I guess. But not too many long distance trips, yeah.
M: So a lot of it was just for the fun of flying, I guess?
B: Exactly and that was the main use of it.
M: Fair enough, fair enough. And so golf was the sport that he played, was that the
only he really? Okay. AAHP 251; Banks; Page 23
B: That was his love.
M: Where did he practice?
B: Where did he practice?
M: Yeah.
B: He had an office over on 6th Street, right next to the City Police Station. As a
matter of fact, I sold that building to the police station because they would be
doing something with it. This was about—I don’t know how many years ago, I
don’t know five, seven, ten years ago. Yeah but he was right next to the police
station.
M: And so where did his—I guess people came from all over town to see him.
B: Yeah they did, they did. And they would come throughout the area. Of course
things got better when White doctors started taking Afro-Americans and then
White patients started coming in and the Black folks got so mad. Why don’t you
leave our Black doctor alone? [laughter] And then the White patients knew how
to make appointments so the average Black would go there, and just sit and wait.
A lot of them were not—totally made them angry. But you would go there at eight
and you were not seen until 11 and somebody comes in at 9 and you see them
at 9:20. You know, people didn’t understand those kinds of things, you know. So
it was quite interesting.
M: I can imagine. Did he make any house calls?
B: Oh he did, years ago, yeah back in the [19]50s, yeah, yeah he did.
M: I see and then I guess as people had cars and other things they got used to that.
That makes sense. What was your experience during sort of the Civil Rights AAHP 251; Banks; Page 24
period in Gainesville? I mean, as you go through the [19]60s what was it like to
be here in Gainesville?
B: I didn’t understand.
M: During Civil Rights—the Civil Rights period—what kinds of things were going on?
Did you see much activity in Gainesville or discussions or?
B: Well, we had Charles Chestnut that was very instrumental. We had Joel
Buchanan who integrated Gainesville High School and of course we all you know
when a calamity comes out like that, everybody—that’s when your forces come
together. The NAACP was very active, if there was anything that needed to be
done; they were right there trying to do what they could which was quite limited
but we were there. I don’t know but whenever we needed a spokesperson we
had a few people that would shout to my husband and Dr. Cosby and they were
right there too, to give some kind of backup.
M: I see. And Dr. Cosby was the dentist?
B: He was the dentist, yeah.
M: Did you know him well?
B: Uh?
M: Did you know him well?
B: Oh yeah, very well, very well. As a matter of fact I’m going to see his wife at 3
o’clock today. We’re very good friends, very good friends.
M: Fair enough. A question about—did you know Joel Buchanan when he was
integrating Gainesville High? AAHP 251; Banks; Page 25
B: I was not—no I didn’t. Not then because he might’ve done it in the [19]60s but so
far as knowing him, no. He’s an excellent friend of mine now, but not then.
M: Do you remember much discussion of that procedure of him—or those three
students integrated in—
B: He often talked about it how, and also Reverend Wrights daughter about how
cold the students were and I think one time—I don’t know whether they beat her
up and she went home crying. But it was very cold but think about it, being the
only student in a class. And some people were just mean to you because they’re
supposed to. They aren’t supposed to be, but because they can be. A lot of
people don’t wanna be mean but it’s just the go and try and to make somebody
feel bad. You know, people have strange personalities that—you have to learn to
contend with.
M: That’s true, that’s true. Well what kinds of changes did you see in Gainesville and
in UF after the Civil Rights Movement? I mean, in terms of how people moved
about or how [inaudible 54:17], and things like that.
B: After the Civil Rights Movement?
M: Yeah.
B: Well before, you know, we had organizations we had Gainesville Women for
Equal Rights, we had Five to [inaudible 54:26] in the bag, we had one or two
others where you were trying to come together to keep some kind of mediocre
or whatever you wanna call it but I don’t know. AAHP 251; Banks; Page 26
M: Well, okay. I mean how has Gainesville changed since you first moved here? Not
just in terms of Civil Rights but in general what would you say is most
characteristic of the change?
B: Well I get the comradely of Whites and Blacks if that’s the main change, in that
we can be sociable now. We go together, we go to anything. It’s not a matter of
when my husband and I go in someplace to have dinner whether we think we’re
gonna be rejected, or talked about, or asked to leave. You know that is a fear
and that’s why a lot of Blacks aren’t as open because they don’t know how
they’re gonna be received. Even though now that the reception is a lot better
than—Nene, can we peep at my husband?
Stranger voice: Yes, I’ve finished feeding finished.
B: He’s not awake?
Stranger voice: Yeah, he awake?
B: Y’all wanna speak at husband?
M: Sure.
B: He only sleeps.
[Interruption on interview]
M: One thing I thought I would bring up, it says here that you were Ms. Florida A&M
University in 1958. Is there anything you can tell us about that or?
B: Well, I don’t know how it happened but I was Ms. Freshman, Ms. Sophomore
attendant, Ms. Junior attendant and Ms. FAMU. How you get a girl out of one
class to be a queen for all of those years. But we don’t do it anymore. As a
matter of fact, I have niece out there that is running for—my sister—a niece that AAHP 251; Banks; Page 27
is running for junior attendant and it’s almost a political thing now, I don’t know
how it is at the University of Florida but then you would get a vote for the person
and do all of those kinds of things but like I said, I lived in the city and how I got it
I don’t know but I got lucky [Laughter]. But it passed. I guess it was quite an
experience it happened almost 60 years ago.
M: So what did you do as Ms. FAMU?
B: We traveled at the University of Florida. We traveled with the team. The girl and
my two attendants, we were only at that time radio shows—I don’t know whether
they had any, let me show you a book.
M: Okay.
B: This was from—it’s about 50 years old and [inaudible 58:21]. There he is. [hard
audio] This is my son when he graduated from medical school [inaudible 59:29]. I
have three or four of my husband [inaudible 59:41], you know him?
M: I don’t remember the name.
B: [Inaudible 59:54] this was a tribute to my husband. Like I said [inaudible 1:00:08],
that’s my son Arthur [inaudible 1:00:26]. This was the surprise birthday they
gave me at the Thomas Center, when I was sixty years old—and it was really
was a surprise too. There’s my husband and his dog, that’s my son, that’s my
[inaudible 1:01:07] bring up a lot of memories. [Inaudible 1:01:37] let me know
and we can see what we didn’t catch up.
M: Sounds good, sounds good.
B: Okay.
[End of Interview] AAHP 251; Banks; Page 28
Transcribed by: Anna Jimenez; May 16, 2014.
Audit-edited by: Genesis Lara, June 17, 2014
Final edit by: Ryan Morini, February 22, 2019