Theodore K. Lawless | |
|---|---|
| Born | Theodore Kenneth Lawless (1892-12-06)December 6, 1892 |
| Died | May 1, 1971(1971-05-01) (aged 78) |
| Education |
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| Occupation | Dermatologist |
| Years active | 1924–1971 |
| Medical career | |
| Field | Dermatology |
| Sub-specialties | skin specialist;leprosy andsyphilis |
| Awards |
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Theodore Kenneth (T.K.)[1] Lawless (December 6, 1892 – May 1, 1971) was an Americandermatologist, medical researcher, andphilanthropist.[2][3][4] He was a skin specialist, and is known for work related toleprosy andsyphilis.[5][6][7]
Lawless was also involved in various charitable causes, includingJewish causes. Related to the latter, he created the Lawless Department of Dermatology inBeilinson Hospital,Tel Aviv, Israel.[8] He received his M.D. degree fromNorthwestern University Medical School, and was a self-made millionaire.[9][10][11] In 1954, he won theNAACPSpingarn Medal, presented annually to anAfrican American of distinguished achievement.[12]
Lawless was born December 6, 1892, inThibodeaux, Louisiana, to Alfred Lawless Jr., (aCongregational minister, instructor at Straight University, andAmerican Missionary Association district superintendent of churches) and Harriet Dunn Lawless (a school teacher).[1][10][13][14] Soon after his birth, his father moved the family toNew Orleans,Louisiana.[1][15] He earned $1-a-day as a boy in his first job, in a New Orleans market.[14][16]
Lawless attendedStraight College (now,Dillard University) in New Orleans for secondary school and went from there toTalladega College inAlabama where he received an A.B. in 1914.[1][2] He then attended theUniversity of Kansas School of Medicine andNorthwestern University Medical School inChicago, from which he received his MD in 1919 and an MS in 1920.[1][10]
In 1920 he was named aRosenwald Fellow in Medicine—an award targeting top black medical students—and thereby received $1,200 ($19,000 in current dollar terms).[17][16] Lawless engaged in graduate studies at the Vanderbilt Clinic ofColumbia Medical School and atHarvard Medical School.[10][2][16] He held a fellowship atMassachusetts General Hospital. He received further postgraduate training outside the United States at theUniversity of Paris's premier dermatology program at L'Hôpital St. Louis, as well as at theUniversity of Freiburg in Germany, and theUniversity of Vienna in Austria.[1][10][13][2] He noted later that "it was a noteworthy fact in my own life experience that of the twelve letters [of recommendation for study abroad] that I received, eleven were from Jewish physicians."[13]
After graduating in 1924, Lawless returned to Chicago to open his dermatology practice on Chicago'sSouth Side in a poor, black neighborhood.[1][10] He became an instructor and research fellow at Northwestern University Medical School the same year, and taught there as a professor of dermatology and syphilology until 1941.[1][15][18][14] He helped establish the university's first medical laboratories,[18] and established the first clinical laboratory for dermatology.[citation needed]
Lawless performed research on syphilis, leprosy,sporotrichosis, and other skin diseases.[18] In 1936, he helped devise a new treatment for early stage syphilis (electropyrexia, which artificially raised a patient's temperature, and then injected the patient with therapeutic drugs).[18] He also developed special treatments for skin damaged byarsenical preparations, which were commonly used during the 1920s against syphilis, and was one of the first doctors to useradium to treat cancer.[18][16] Between 1921 and 1941 he published ten papers on dermatology, which including studies onwarts, sporotrichosis, theuse ofcolloidalmercuric sulphide,arsenicals, the treatment of early syphilis with electrically induced fever,tineasycosis of the upper lip,tularemia, and congenital ichthyosiformerythroderma.[2]
In 1957 Lawless was the first Black member of Chicago's Board of Health.[19] His professional memberships included theAmerican Medical Association, theNational Medical Association, and theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science, and in 1935 he became a diplomate of theAmerican Board of Dermatology and Syphilology.[20] He served as an associate examiner in Dermatology for theNational Board of Medical Examiners and as a consultant for the United States Chemical Warfare Board.[20]
A shrewd investor and businessman, he became a multi-millionaire, and had a remarkable business career.[10][11] Lawless was director of both theSupreme Life Insurance Company[15][21] andMarina City Bank. He was also a charter member, associate founder, and President of Service Federal Savings and Loan Association in Chicago.[15][16]
Most of his philanthropy involved starting a number of dermatology programs in Israel. Lawless donated $160,000 ($1,800,000 in current dollar terms) in 1957 to, spearheaded a Chicago fundraising drive for, and established the 35-bed Lawless Department of Dermatology inBeilinson Hospital (later known as the Rabin Medical Center), near Tel Aviv, Israel.[12][11][13][14][16][22] He also created the T. K. Lawless Student Summer Camp Program for Talented Children for the scientific training for Israeli children at theWeizmann Institute of Science, inRehovot, Israel;[12][23] the Lawless Clinical and Research Laboratory in Dermatology of the Hebrew Medical School in Jerusalem, Israel.[23] He became well acquainted withChaim Weizmann, Israel's first president.[15] He thus repaid support received from Jewish doctors in obtaining his appointment to his position at theUniversity of Paris.[12][2] In 1969 he said: "I'm simply trying to repay a debt of gratitude."[12] He explained his philanthropy for Israel and Jewish causes by pointing out that when he was a child in New Orleans, a Jewish peddler there was always kind to his family, a Jewish professor (Maurice Lenz) had helped him at Columbia University, and he also recalled another Jewish friend.[12][2] In the 1960s, he worked for theIsrael Bonds drive and purchased a large number of the bonds.[12][11] In December 1967, on his fifth trip to Israel he made a donation establishing a fund to repair and restore ancient Biblical archeological discoveries at theIsrael Museum in Jerusalem, his fifth project in Israel.[24]
Lawless also supportedRoosevelt University's Chemical Laboratory and Lecture Auditorium, in Chicago, and Lawless Memorial Chapel atDillard University, in New Orleans.[25][26] In 1959, he was elected president of the Dillard University Board of Trustees.[27] In 1967, ground was first broken for the Theodore K. Lawless Gardens, in his honor and of which he was a principal, a 13-acre 514-unitmiddle-incomehousing project at 35th and Rhodes Avenue on Chicago's South Side.[3][28][29][30][23] He also served as chairman of the board of trustees of Talladega College, chairman of the American Missionary Association and Division of Higher Education of the Congregational and Christian Church, and director of Youth Services of theB'nai B'rith Foundation.[2]
He died inMichael Reese Hospital in Chicago at age 78 on May 1, 1971.[6][10][16] Lawless left $150,000 ($1,200,000 in current dollar terms) of his $1.25 million ($9,700,000 in current dollar terms) estate to the American Committee of the Weizmann Institute, a New York research institution.[12]
Lawless won theHarmon Award in Science for outstanding work in medicine in 1929.[16]
In 1954, Lawless won and became the 39th recipient of theNAACPSpingarn Medal, presented annually to a Black American of distinguished achievement, for his contributions as a "physician, educator and philanthropist".[12][20][2] In 1963 he received Roosevelt University's second annual Daniel H. Burnham Award.[31][2]Phi Beta Kappa honored him with its Distinguished Service Award in 1966 for "acts of charity and medical service".[32][33] In 1967 he receivedUniversity of Kansas Distinguished Service Citation, and theCity of Hope Golden Torch Award.[34][35][2] In 1970 he received the Beatrice Caffrey Youth Service Merit Award.[2]
He also received the Citation of theWeizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, and the Greater Chicago Churchman Layman-of-the-Year Citation.[36][37][2]
Lawless receivedhonorary degrees from Talldega (D.Sc.),Howard University (D.Sc.),Bethune-Cookman College (LL.D.), theUniversity of Illinois (LL.D.), andVirginia State University (LL.D.).[2][23]
He was also honored by having a county park inCass County nearVandalia,Michigan named after him (Dr. T.K. Lawless Park). The park features a range of outdoor activities, including a 10-mile mountain bike trail, shelters, softball fields, and soccer fields.[38]
A portrait of Lawless painted byBetsy Graves Reyneau is in the collection of theSmithsonian Institution at theNational Portrait Gallery. It was originally collected by the Harmon Foundation as part of a project to document noteworthy African Americans.[39]
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