World War II Honoree

Charles Richard Drew

Hometown

Washington, District Of Columbia

Honored By

Charles Henry Atkinson

EARNED HIS DOCTOR OF MEDICAL SCIENCE DEGREE FROM COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN 1940. HE AND OTHER AMERICAN BLOOD SPECIALISTS WERE EXPLORING WAYS TO GET LIFE-SAVING BLOOD PLASMA TO THE WAR FRONT WHEN HE RECEIVED AN URGENT REQUEST FOR 5,000 AMPULES OF DRIED PLASMA FOR TRANSFUSIONS, PLUS THE SAME AMOUNT 3 WEEKS LATER. HE WAS CHOSEN MEDICAL SUPERVISOR OF THE 'BLOOD FOR BRITAIN' PROJECT, WHICH HELPED SAVE THE LIVES OF MANY WOUNDED SOLDIERS. FOLLOWING THIS SUCCESS, HE WAS NAMED DIRECTOR OF THE RED CROSS BLOOD BANK AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL, IN CHARGE OF BLOOD COLLECTION FOR THE U.S. ARMY AND NAVY. IN 1941, HE RESIGNED HIS POSITION (WITH THE UNTIED STATES ARMY) FOR RACIAL BIAS OF SEGREGATED BLOOD SUPPLY.