Academic Society Namesakes
Learn about the inspiring lives and legacies of the individuals who each of our academic societies is named after.
Avery-Curtis Society
Named for Melvia Fairetta Avery, M.D., and Mildred Curtis, M.D.
At the turn of the twentieth century, women seeking a medical education faced many social barriers. Not only were women discouraged from pursuing careers of any kind outside the home, but the medical field in particular was widely considered a man’s profession. Despite these obstacles, Melvia Fairetta Avery, M.D., and Mildred Curtis, M.D., cemented their place in KU School of Medicine history as the first women graduates in 1906.
Melvia Avery was born in Milford, Kansas, in 1879 and attended Kansas State Agricultural College of Manhattan (present-day Kansas State University), receiving an undergraduate degree in 1899. In 1903, after working as a teacher for several years, Avery began medical school at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Kansas City.
Born in Geneva, Kansas, in 1881, Mildred Curtis was raised in Neosho Falls and entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1902.
A proprietary school in Kansas City, Kansas, the College of Physicians and Surgeons was one of few schools that would admit female students. The school merged with two other proprietary schools — the Kansas City Medical College and the Medico-Chirurgical College — to form KU School of Medicine in 1905, paving the way for Avery and Curtis’ historic matriculations in 1906.
After graduation, Avery practiced medicine in Kansas for six years before relocating to Lander, Wyoming, in 1913, where she worked alongside her sister, Bernice, a practical nurse. Avery cared for premature babies and treated patients with blood poisoning and other ailments until her untimely passing in 1917, the result of an abscessed liver. Curtis, meanwhile, remained in Kansas her entire professional career, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology at a medical practice in Iola. After nearly fifty years in the medical field, Curtis died of gall bladder disease in 1959.
Though Avery and Curtis’ paths diverged after graduation, their shared educational milestone broke barriers and paved the way for generations of women who have completed their medical education at KU School of Medicine.
Cates Society
Kansas City Campus
Named for Marjorie Cates, M.D.
The moment Marjorie Cates, M.D., received her medical degree from the School of Medicine at the University of Kansas in 1958, she made history.
Born in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1930, Cates received her bachelor’s degree in home economics and medical technology from Kansas State College (now Kansas State University). After completing additional pre-medical courses at the University of Minnesota, Cates began medical school at KU School of Medicine. She was the second African American woman to enter the program and, in 1958, became the first African American woman to graduate from KU School of Medicine.
Cates’ accomplishments continued well after receiving her medical degree. She completed her internship at Freedmen’s Hospital (now Howard University Hospital) and residency at D.C. General Hospital, after which she completed three years of additional study in hematology at the New England Medical Center, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. She would later go on to teach hematology at Howard University.
Cates was particularly passionate about raising awareness for sickle cell disease, a group of disorders that affect more than ninety percent of African American people in the United States. She served as assistant director at the Howard University Sickle Cell Center and published “Sickle Cell Disease, a Bibliography” in 1975.
Cates held several positions in the public sector throughout her career. The Department of the Interior named her director of health services, and in 1974, she became the chief medical officer at the D.C. Health Department North Area Health Center. She died in 1991.
Cates’ legacy as a trailblazer for African American women pursuing medical degrees at KU School of Medicine lives on with the naming of this academic society.
Fitzsimons Society
Kansas City Campus
Named for William T. Fitzsimons, M.D.
Known for his selflessness and wartime service, William T. Fitzsimons, M.D., was both a student and educator at KU School of Medicine.
Born in Burlington, Kansas, in 1889, Fitzsimons received his medical degree from KU School of Medicine in 1912. Fitzsimons served post-graduate stints at St. Mary’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, and Roosevelt Hospital in New York City before traveling to Europe with the Red Cross in 1914. The continent, in the throes of World War I, was in need of volunteer aid. Fitzsimons, a trained surgeon, provided his services to care for wounded soldiers in England and Belgium.
Fitzsimons returned to the United States in late 1915, practicing medicine in downtown Kansas City and joining the surgery faculty at KU School of Medicine in 1916. His tenure ended in April 1917 when he received orders to deploy to a hospital base in France. The United States was now involved in the Great War, and Dr. Fitzsimons was now Lieutenant Fitzsimons of the Medical Reserve Corps.
Fitzsimons arrived at Base Hospital No. 5 in August 1917, and the young lieutenant resumed the work he’d begun years before as a volunteer. On September 4, 1917, a German air raid struck Base Hospital No. 5, killing Fitzsimons and several others. His death made Fitzsimons the first U.S. Army officer to die in World War I.
Back home, Kansas City mourned Fitzsimons’ death and swiftly honored his memory. A city-wide memorial soon followed news of his death, while a memorial fountain and, in 1947, a granite marker in downtown Kansas City were dedicated to Fitzsimons. Though Fitzsimons’ life was cut short, his dedication to care and service lives on.
Holmes Society
Kansas City Campus
Named for Grace Holmes, M.D.
Grace Holmes, M.D., and her journey toward a trailblazing medical career began not in the Midwest, but the Pacific Northwest.
Born in Crookston, Minnesota, in 1932, Holmes received her undergraduate degree from Pacific Lutheran University in 1953 and, upon entering medical school at the University of Washington in Seattle, was one of only two women in her class. She received her medical degree in 1957 and, alongside her husband and classmate Frederick Holmes, completed internships at the University of Kansas Bell Memorial Hospital.
Kansas City remained Holmes’ home base while she and Frederick completed medical mission work overseas. Holmes studied at the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene before completing medical mission work first in Malaysia (1959-1963) and Tanzania (1970-1972). In between her overseas missions, Holmes completed a fellowship at KU Medical Center in 1967 and became a faculty member in 1970, serving a dual appointment in the pediatrics and preventive medicine departments. She published 55 papers in scholarly journals and wrote several books during her tenure.
Holmes’ clinical, teaching and research passions were in the growth and development of infants and children, particularly those with physical and intellectual disabilities. Her expertise in this subject led to one of Holmes’ most notable contributions to the medical field: the development of the Kansas Infant Development Screen (KIDS) chart. First developed and distributed by Holmes in 1981, this development screening tool has been translated into several languages and is used throughout the world to this day.
Holmes retired as professor emerita in 2000 and passed away in 2023 at the age of 90. Her contributions to the medical field are felt around the world, and her unwavering commitment to the well-being of children exemplifies the highest ideals of the medical profession.
Jager Society
Wichita Campus
Named for Thor Jager, M.D.
Visitors of the Clendening Library at the University of Kansas Medical Center’s main campus in Kansas City, will find a treasure trove of rare books, manuscripts and letters on the history of medicine, all tucked into the Jager Room. This robust collection came to KU from the personal library of Thor Jager, M.D.
Born in Sweden in 1882, Jager immigrated to the United States in 1902 and attended medical school at Northwestern University in Chicago. After graduating cum laude, he interned at St. Francis Hospital in Wichita, Kansas in 1907. A one-year stint as a faculty member in Northwestern University’s pathology department followed his internship, after which Jager pursued more advanced internal medicine training in Berlin, Germany.
Jager returned to the U.S. — and to Wichita — in 1911, becoming the city’s first pathologist. Known for his perceptive manner and expert bedside manner, Jager had a reputation for being a dedicated and exacting diagnostician. A prominent pathologist and neurologist, Jager joined the KU School of Medicine-Wichita faculty for one year beginning in 1940.
Jager was not only a passionate physician, but an avid collector of rare books. His collection began while he still lived in Europe and included over 1,000 rare books, manuscripts and letters that spanned from the 16th to the 20th centuries. The collection was donated to KU Medical Center by Jager in 1970, five years before his death at the age of 93.
Today, every time a new person enters his namesake room in Clendening Library and peruses his extensive donated collection, Jager’s legacy continues to inspire those at KU School of Medicine.
Lukert Society
Salina Campus
Named for Barbara Lukert, M.D.
From a young age, Barbara Lukert, M.D., knew she not only wanted to be a doctor, but a doctor who led her medical practice with a philosophy of comfort and compassion for her patients.
Born in Kansas, Lukert completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Kansas and entered KU School of Medicine in 1960. She was one of five women admitted into that year’s cohort. After a one-year internship at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Lukert returned to KU School of Medicine to complete her residency and later a fellowship in endocrinology.
Lukert joined the School of Medicine faculty in 1965, and after five years, completed another fellowship in metabolic bone disease at the University of Manchester in England. Passionate about teaching and mentorship, Lukert returned to KU School of Medicine in 1975, where she remained until her retirement in 2011. As a teacher of medical students and residents, Lukert has maintained lifelong connections with most of her mentees.
Lukert’s research has also had a lasting impact. Throughout her career, she authored or co-authored 96 manuscripts and 11 books or book chapters exploring endocrinology, diabetes and metabolic bone disease.
While her feet were firmly planted in teaching and research, Lukert never wavered on her dedication to patient care. She believed in seeing as many patients as possible and maintaining a patient-first approach throughout their care. This ethos has inspired the countless mentees who worked with Lukert and one she continues to build upon with visits to the School of Medicine’s Salina campus, connecting with a new generation of medical professionals. Lukert remains a respected mentor and the ideal role model for patient care at KU School of Medicine.
Schrepfer Society
Kansas City Campus
Named for Rosemary Schrepfer, M.D.
Known for her determination and resilience, Rosemary Schrepfer, M.D., left an undeniable mark on the School of Medicine at the University of Kansas as the first woman to complete the obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) program in 1947.
Born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1922, Schrepfer completed three years of study at KU before beginning her medical studies at the School of Medicine in 1943. While three years of her residency were completed at KU Hospital, she spent the third year of her residency at Duke University.
Schrepfer faced significant challenges as a woman in a male-dominated field. The OB-GYN residency program was rigorous, and while male residents had beds for rest, Schrepfer relied on free carts whenever she could find them. Schrepfer persevered through the hardships, completing her residency in 1952 to become the first female OB-GYN to care for patients in Kansas. She remained at KU Medical Center for the next 30 years, serving primarily as a faculty member in addition to her duties in the hospital and her private practice.
Schrepfer left KU Medical Center in 1983, seeking a change in pace. She found that change in Saudi Arabia, delivering babies at a government hospital. She was also supposed to teach, but because of many younger male doctors’ objections to being taught by a woman, Schrepfer focused on her clinical work. She eventually returned to Kansas City, working at the University of Missouri-Kansas City as a physician and teacher, and ran the institution’s outpatient maternity clinic part-time.
Schrepfer retired in the mid-1990s and passed away in June 2025 at the age of 103. Her career was marked by her unshakeable resolve and pioneering spirit, overcoming significant barriers to become a respected doctor and educator, both in Kansas and abroad.
Williams Society
Kansas City Campus
Named for Edward Vernon Williams, M.D.
A World War II veteran and trailblazing physician, Edward Vernon Williams, M.D., challenged social norms of the time and paved the way for future generations of African American medical student at KU School of Medicine.
Born in 1912 in Ellsworth, Kansas, Williams received his undergraduate degree in zoology from the University of Kansas before deciding to pursue medical school at the School of Medicine in the late 1930s. Segregation in the United States persisted during this time, impacting the social and educational opportunities for minority students. At KU School of Medicine, African American students were admitted into the program for the first two years, then would have to complete their remaining clinical years at an out-of-state school.
When Williams applied to the School of Medicine in 1938, he was accepted — but, like other African American students who had applied before him, only for the first two years of his training. Instead of acquiescing to this condition of his acceptance, Williams opted to challenge the policy.
In the summer of 1938, Williams and other concerned citizens contacted Kansas governor Walter A. Huxman, requesting his help in changing this policy. Gov. Huxman ultimately intervened, corresponding with the Kansas Board of Regents, KU Chancellor E.H. Lindley and School of Medicine Dean H.R. Wahl to encourage them to rethink the policy. This effort culminated on August 6, 1938, with the Kansas Board of Regents’ decision to admit students of color into the School of Medicine. Two days later, on August 8, Williams was officially admitted into KU School of Medicine for the full four years. Upon his graduation in 1941, Williams became the first African American graduate of KU School of Medicine.
Williams’ graduation coincided with the country’s entry into World War II; during these wartime years, he served at a hospital in Arizona and a VA hospital in Tuskegee, Alabama, caring for returning Black service members. In 1946, Williams settled in Muskegon, Michigan, where he dedicated over forty years to practicing medicine.
Though his career took Williams beyond Kansas City, his legacy at KU School of Medicine has never been forgotten. In 1991, the fiftieth anniversary of Williams’ historic graduation, Williams was invited back to his alma mater for a special anniversary dinner. Williams died in 2006, but his achievements at KU School of Medicine and beyond continue to inspire.
Thank you to the KU Medical Center Archives for information and images about our academic society namesakes. Learn more about the Archives team in the Department of History and Philosophy of Medicine.