"Banked Blood" The Charles Drew Story

Our Guest Speakers last week were Odette Struys from the Blood Alliance and Kathleen "Bo" Bobak.  They both introduced us to the story of Dr. Charles Drew and some of the details surrounding his life.  How exciting to be working on a local feature film project on such a great American.

Today's American Red Cross blood program is the result of the efforts of Dr. Charles R. Drew, an African-American blood specialist, surgeon, educator and scientist. His pioneering work in blood collection, plasma processing and transfusion laid the foundation for modern blood banking.

It wasn’t easy for Charles Drew to get through Medical School. As a black man in the late 20’s, his prospects were limited. His prowess in sports guaranteed a scholarship through Amherst; after that he was on his own. But self-sacrifice and determination got him through McGill’s surgical program at the top of his class. Charles' hard work paid off. In 1938, he found himself at Columbia University participating in an advance studies Fellowship with associated blood research. Here too, Charles rose to the top. But World War II was coming. Little known at the time, his research would save millions of lives for decades to come. Balancing love with a killing-pace at Columbia, the completion of his thesis (Banked Blood) launched him into the world limelight. This attention eventually led to the position of Medical Director of the Blood for Britain Project. Here his theories would be put to the test and lead to the largest blood drive in world history. Although at the top of his field, Charles was not immune to the politics of race. Realizing the path to racial equality would be long and hard, he found his true calling as an educator and advocate for young black doctors. A mission he attacked with the same vigor and determination as his research and surgical work. A pioneer in both medical science and racial equality, Dr. Charles Drew is a true American hero.