Dr. Aaron Shirley, 81, died November 26, 2014. He will lie in state starting on Friday, December 5, 2014 at the Old Capital Museum, 100 South State Street, Jackson, MS from 10:00 until 4:00 p.m. then continue at Peoples Funeral Home after 4:30 p.m. There will be a Friends and Family hour at 6:00 p.m. at Peoples Funeral Home. Funeral services will be on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at the Jackson Medical Mall (Thad Cochran Center).
Published in The Clarion Ledger, December 5, 2014
===============================
Dr. Aaron Shirley, who broke a racial barrier at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1965 and founded the Jackson Medical Mall, has died.
Shirley, medical pioneer and civil rights icon, died of natural causes today at a Jackson hospital. He was 81.
In 1993, Shirley was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the "Genius Grant") for his pioneering approach to rural and urban healthcare. By the mid-1990s he was working as the director of the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center (an institution he helped to establish in 1970) when he had a fateful lunch with his friend, former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson.
"I lived in this area and had seen the Jackson Mall deteriorate," recalled Shirley. "It had once been a thriving retail center, and it had become practically empty. My organization needed more space, and so did University Medical Center.
"So I took Reuben to lunch at Piccadilly Cafe in the Jackson Mall. He wanted me to serve on the board at Tougaloo College, my alma mater. I told him I didn't have a lot of time, but I would do it if he would help me to acquire the mall and convert it into a healthcare facility," Shirley was quoted as saying.
Shirley remembers Anderson's response well: "Aaron, what would you do with all this space?"
But two weeks later, Anderson called Shirley back and said he would help. A long and occasionally difficult process of discussions with potential partners and financial backers ensued.
The biggest task was to put together a group of tenants for the building. UMC was already on board, and other institutions soon followed suit. Jackson State University agreed to relocate its school of public health to the facility. Tougaloo College promised to move several classes to the mall, and the city of Jackson made plans to relocate their Departments of Water, Human and Cultural Services, and Parks and Recreation.
Shirley, Anderson, Dr. Wallace Conerly and Dr. Ted Woodrell of UMC worked together to assemble the necessary partners and financing, which included $3 million to purchase the building and $20 million to pay for the required renovations. The first clinic, UMC's Ambulatory Care clinic, opened in January 1997.
The Medical Mall now is home to numerous clinics, medical support firms, city offices, classrooms and retail outlets. It was the first development of its kind and now serves as a national model.
In 2013, Shirley was awarded the Herbert W. Nickens Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. He was honored for his lifetime of service in support of diversity in medical education and the elimination of health disparities,
"For all of his adult life, he has been a courageous champion of civil rights and equal access to health services for African Americans," said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, UMC's associate vice chancellor for health affairs and vice dean of the School of Medicine. Woodward nominated Shirley for the award.
Originally from Gluckstadt, Shirley completed medical school and an internship in Tennessee before entering private practice in Vicksburg. He set his sights on a pediatric residency out of state, but was invited to apply for a training position at UMC by then chair of pediatrics, Dr. Blair E. Batson. After much consideration, he accepted, becoming the first African-American resident — and the first black learner in any program — at UMC in 1965.
He went on to serve as a clinical instructor in the Department of Pediatrics for more than 40 years. His career highlights include co-founding the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, which became a model for federally funded community health centers nationwide. He also developed the Jackson Medical Mall in partnership with Jackson State University, Tougaloo College and UMC.
Contact Jimmie E. Gates at [email protected] or (601) 961-7212. Floow @jgatesnews on Twitter.
Published in The Clarion Ledger, December 5, 2014
===============================
Dr. Aaron Shirley, who broke a racial barrier at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1965 and founded the Jackson Medical Mall, has died.
Shirley, medical pioneer and civil rights icon, died of natural causes today at a Jackson hospital. He was 81.
In 1993, Shirley was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the "Genius Grant") for his pioneering approach to rural and urban healthcare. By the mid-1990s he was working as the director of the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center (an institution he helped to establish in 1970) when he had a fateful lunch with his friend, former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson.
"I lived in this area and had seen the Jackson Mall deteriorate," recalled Shirley. "It had once been a thriving retail center, and it had become practically empty. My organization needed more space, and so did University Medical Center.
"So I took Reuben to lunch at Piccadilly Cafe in the Jackson Mall. He wanted me to serve on the board at Tougaloo College, my alma mater. I told him I didn't have a lot of time, but I would do it if he would help me to acquire the mall and convert it into a healthcare facility," Shirley was quoted as saying.
Shirley remembers Anderson's response well: "Aaron, what would you do with all this space?"
But two weeks later, Anderson called Shirley back and said he would help. A long and occasionally difficult process of discussions with potential partners and financial backers ensued.
The biggest task was to put together a group of tenants for the building. UMC was already on board, and other institutions soon followed suit. Jackson State University agreed to relocate its school of public health to the facility. Tougaloo College promised to move several classes to the mall, and the city of Jackson made plans to relocate their Departments of Water, Human and Cultural Services, and Parks and Recreation.
Shirley, Anderson, Dr. Wallace Conerly and Dr. Ted Woodrell of UMC worked together to assemble the necessary partners and financing, which included $3 million to purchase the building and $20 million to pay for the required renovations. The first clinic, UMC's Ambulatory Care clinic, opened in January 1997.
The Medical Mall now is home to numerous clinics, medical support firms, city offices, classrooms and retail outlets. It was the first development of its kind and now serves as a national model.
In 2013, Shirley was awarded the Herbert W. Nickens Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. He was honored for his lifetime of service in support of diversity in medical education and the elimination of health disparities,
"For all of his adult life, he has been a courageous champion of civil rights and equal access to health services for African Americans," said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, UMC's associate vice chancellor for health affairs and vice dean of the School of Medicine. Woodward nominated Shirley for the award.
Originally from Gluckstadt, Shirley completed medical school and an internship in Tennessee before entering private practice in Vicksburg. He set his sights on a pediatric residency out of state, but was invited to apply for a training position at UMC by then chair of pediatrics, Dr. Blair E. Batson. After much consideration, he accepted, becoming the first African-American resident — and the first black learner in any program — at UMC in 1965.
He went on to serve as a clinical instructor in the Department of Pediatrics for more than 40 years. His career highlights include co-founding the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, which became a model for federally funded community health centers nationwide. He also developed the Jackson Medical Mall in partnership with Jackson State University, Tougaloo College and UMC.
Contact Jimmie E. Gates at [email protected] or (601) 961-7212. Floow @jgatesnews on Twitter.
Dr. Aaron Shirley, 81, died November 26, 2014. He will lie in state starting on Friday, December 5, 2014 at the Old Capital Museum, 100 South State Street, Jackson, MS from 10:00 until 4:00 p.m. then continue at Peoples Funeral Home after 4:30 p.m. There will be a Friends and Family hour at 6:00 p.m. at Peoples Funeral Home. Funeral services will be on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at the Jackson Medical Mall (Thad Cochran Center).
Published in The Clarion Ledger, December 5, 2014
===============================
Dr. Aaron Shirley, who broke a racial barrier at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1965 and founded the Jackson Medical Mall, has died.
Shirley, medical pioneer and civil rights icon, died of natural causes today at a Jackson hospital. He was 81.
In 1993, Shirley was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the "Genius Grant") for his pioneering approach to rural and urban healthcare. By the mid-1990s he was working as the director of the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center (an institution he helped to establish in 1970) when he had a fateful lunch with his friend, former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson.
"I lived in this area and had seen the Jackson Mall deteriorate," recalled Shirley. "It had once been a thriving retail center, and it had become practically empty. My organization needed more space, and so did University Medical Center.
"So I took Reuben to lunch at Piccadilly Cafe in the Jackson Mall. He wanted me to serve on the board at Tougaloo College, my alma mater. I told him I didn't have a lot of time, but I would do it if he would help me to acquire the mall and convert it into a healthcare facility," Shirley was quoted as saying.
Shirley remembers Anderson's response well: "Aaron, what would you do with all this space?"
But two weeks later, Anderson called Shirley back and said he would help. A long and occasionally difficult process of discussions with potential partners and financial backers ensued.
The biggest task was to put together a group of tenants for the building. UMC was already on board, and other institutions soon followed suit. Jackson State University agreed to relocate its school of public health to the facility. Tougaloo College promised to move several classes to the mall, and the city of Jackson made plans to relocate their Departments of Water, Human and Cultural Services, and Parks and Recreation.
Shirley, Anderson, Dr. Wallace Conerly and Dr. Ted Woodrell of UMC worked together to assemble the necessary partners and financing, which included $3 million to purchase the building and $20 million to pay for the required renovations. The first clinic, UMC's Ambulatory Care clinic, opened in January 1997.
The Medical Mall now is home to numerous clinics, medical support firms, city offices, classrooms and retail outlets. It was the first development of its kind and now serves as a national model.
In 2013, Shirley was awarded the Herbert W. Nickens Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. He was honored for his lifetime of service in support of diversity in medical education and the elimination of health disparities,
"For all of his adult life, he has been a courageous champion of civil rights and equal access to health services for African Americans," said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, UMC's associate vice chancellor for health affairs and vice dean of the School of Medicine. Woodward nominated Shirley for the award.
Originally from Gluckstadt, Shirley completed medical school and an internship in Tennessee before entering private practice in Vicksburg. He set his sights on a pediatric residency out of state, but was invited to apply for a training position at UMC by then chair of pediatrics, Dr. Blair E. Batson. After much consideration, he accepted, becoming the first African-American resident — and the first black learner in any program — at UMC in 1965.
He went on to serve as a clinical instructor in the Department of Pediatrics for more than 40 years. His career highlights include co-founding the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, which became a model for federally funded community health centers nationwide. He also developed the Jackson Medical Mall in partnership with Jackson State University, Tougaloo College and UMC.
Contact Jimmie E. Gates at [email protected] or (601) 961-7212. Floow @jgatesnews on Twitter.
Published in The Clarion Ledger, December 5, 2014
===============================
Dr. Aaron Shirley, who broke a racial barrier at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1965 and founded the Jackson Medical Mall, has died.
Shirley, medical pioneer and civil rights icon, died of natural causes today at a Jackson hospital. He was 81.
In 1993, Shirley was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the "Genius Grant") for his pioneering approach to rural and urban healthcare. By the mid-1990s he was working as the director of the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center (an institution he helped to establish in 1970) when he had a fateful lunch with his friend, former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson.
"I lived in this area and had seen the Jackson Mall deteriorate," recalled Shirley. "It had once been a thriving retail center, and it had become practically empty. My organization needed more space, and so did University Medical Center.
"So I took Reuben to lunch at Piccadilly Cafe in the Jackson Mall. He wanted me to serve on the board at Tougaloo College, my alma mater. I told him I didn't have a lot of time, but I would do it if he would help me to acquire the mall and convert it into a healthcare facility," Shirley was quoted as saying.
Shirley remembers Anderson's response well: "Aaron, what would you do with all this space?"
But two weeks later, Anderson called Shirley back and said he would help. A long and occasionally difficult process of discussions with potential partners and financial backers ensued.
The biggest task was to put together a group of tenants for the building. UMC was already on board, and other institutions soon followed suit. Jackson State University agreed to relocate its school of public health to the facility. Tougaloo College promised to move several classes to the mall, and the city of Jackson made plans to relocate their Departments of Water, Human and Cultural Services, and Parks and Recreation.
Shirley, Anderson, Dr. Wallace Conerly and Dr. Ted Woodrell of UMC worked together to assemble the necessary partners and financing, which included $3 million to purchase the building and $20 million to pay for the required renovations. The first clinic, UMC's Ambulatory Care clinic, opened in January 1997.
The Medical Mall now is home to numerous clinics, medical support firms, city offices, classrooms and retail outlets. It was the first development of its kind and now serves as a national model.
In 2013, Shirley was awarded the Herbert W. Nickens Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. He was honored for his lifetime of service in support of diversity in medical education and the elimination of health disparities,
"For all of his adult life, he has been a courageous champion of civil rights and equal access to health services for African Americans," said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, UMC's associate vice chancellor for health affairs and vice dean of the School of Medicine. Woodward nominated Shirley for the award.
Originally from Gluckstadt, Shirley completed medical school and an internship in Tennessee before entering private practice in Vicksburg. He set his sights on a pediatric residency out of state, but was invited to apply for a training position at UMC by then chair of pediatrics, Dr. Blair E. Batson. After much consideration, he accepted, becoming the first African-American resident — and the first black learner in any program — at UMC in 1965.
He went on to serve as a clinical instructor in the Department of Pediatrics for more than 40 years. His career highlights include co-founding the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, which became a model for federally funded community health centers nationwide. He also developed the Jackson Medical Mall in partnership with Jackson State University, Tougaloo College and UMC.
Contact Jimmie E. Gates at [email protected] or (601) 961-7212. Floow @jgatesnews on Twitter.
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