Dana Olden Baldwin
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Dana Olden Baldwin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 20th, 1881 |
| Died | November 9, 1972 (aged 91) |
| Resting place | Baldwin Family Cemetery, Apex Wake County, North Carolina, US |
| Education | Shaw University(BA, 1900) Leonard Medical School (MD, 1910) |
| Occupations | Physician, Businessman |
| Title |  First Lieutenant |
| Spouse | Vina A. Flood |
| Children | J. Mae and Rosa Belle (adopted) Dr. Harold Baldwin, Willie Edwards, Curtis Higginbothom, Martha Sapry (foster) |
Dana Olden Baldwin, M.D. (March 20, 1881– November 9, 1972) was a prominent African American physician in Martinsville, Virginia. He served in World War I as a medical officer until he was honorably discharged in 1918. In addition to his medical practice, Baldwin was a successful African American businessman, with ventures including the Baldwin Business Center, St. Mary's Hospital, and Sandy Beach Resort. His businesses operated under the racial segregation of Jim Crow laws, which prevented Black customers from entry to white establishments. Baldwin Memorial Park was named in his honor.
Baldwin was born on March 20, 1881, in Belvoir, North Carolina, and was the oldest child of Reverend James Hayes and Mary Crutchfield Baldwin. His father was a Methodist priest. Baldwin's paternal grandfather, Jerry Baldwin, and maternal grandmother, Margaret Crutchfield, were both enslaved.[1] Baldwin worked as a farm laborer from a very young age while learning at home and eventually attending school. He graduated from the Apex Normal and Industrial Institute at the age of 16 in 1897.[2] Baldwin then attended Shaw University, a historically Black college in Raleigh, North Carolina. Following graduation, Baldwin taught in public schools and worked as a waiter until his mother convinced him to pursue further education.[2] Baldwin returned to Shaw University for the Leonard Medical School (see Leonard Hall (Shaw University)) and graduated in 1910.
Baldwin visited Martinsville, Virginia in 1910 and was encouraged to stay by Dr. Jesse Shackelford,[3] who founded the first area hospital and helped modernize medicine in Henry County.[4] Baldwin assisted Shackelford as an anesthesiologist, especially when making house calls to the surrounding area,[3] but Jim Crow laws made it difficult for African Americans to access care. Baldwin opened his own medical practice in a home on Fayette Street to provide care for the area's Black population.[3]
On December 24, 1911, Baldwin married Vina S. Flood, adopted daughter of Lewis F. and Elizabeth Flood.[3] Lewis Flood was a founding member of the St. Paul Baptist Church on High Street in Martinsville and served as the clerk.[3] Vina was educated at the Hartshorn Memorial College and taught in a number of local public schools, including Martinsville Christian Institute. Dr. Baldwin and Vina adopted two daughters, J. Mae and Rosa Belle, and fostered several children.[3]
When the United States entered World War I in 1917, Baldwin immediately volunteered at age 36.[2]
Military service
Upon entry into the military, Baldwin was commissioned to the Medical Reserve Corps and sent for basic training at Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School. Military service was racially segregated during WWI. Following an influx of African American volunteers and ongoing advocacy by the NAACP and Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), the first officer candidate class for African Americans was held at Fort Des Moines in 1917. Baldwin was awarded the rank of First Lieutenant. However, there was still some discontent at the facility as many soldiers found that he had been unfairly assessed for merely being Black.[5] This or friction with his superior may have been a factor in Baldwin submitting his resignation from the 368th Ambulance Company of the 92nd Division, 317 Sanitary Train post he had been assigned.[6] Despite this resignation request, the Army deployed Baldwin to France, where he served the remainder of WWI.[2]
Once he arrived in France, Baldwin had the main responsibility of handling sanitation concerns, surgery duties and hospital illnesses. Much of the 92nd Infantry Division was engaged in trench warfare and were aiding the French in pushing back the German forces, who sent a large number of gas attacks into the field.[7] However, Baldwin found himself mostly concerned with the outbreak of influenza which came in September 1918 (see Spanish Flu). A large portion of the Baldwin's patients mostly consisted of illness. The war came to a close in 1919, and Baldwin was honorably discharged on April 2.[2]