John C. Herweg Oral History (OH079)

Description

Reference code

OH079

Level of description

Collection

Title

John C. Herweg Oral History (OH079)

Date(s)

  • March 2005 (Creation)

Extent

0.50 Linear Feet

Name of creator

(1922-2018)

Biographical history

John C. Herweg (1922-2018) was the former Associate Dean for Student Affairs at Washington University School of Medicine who served in that role from 1965 to 1990. He also served as the chairman of the committee on admissions and as an advisor to medical students. As associate dean, Herweg guided student affairs through new channels, including active recruitment of minority students, providing support for the increasing number of women seeking a career in medicine, and steady direction during student protests.

Herweg earned his undergraduate degree from Drury College in Springfield, MO, and his medical degree from Washington University in 1945. He served a year-long internship at St. Louis Children's Hospital before serving as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1946 to 1948. Herweg returned to Children's Hospital as the chief resident after his military service.

In 1951, he joined the faculty at the School of Medicine as an instructor in pediatrics. Herweg was promoted to assistant professor in 1953 . From 1960 to 1962, he was a U.S. Public Health Post-Doctoral Fellow and assistant professor of microbiology at University of Minnesota School of Medicine. Upon his return to St. Louis in 1962, Herweg became the director of the Clinical Research Unit at St. Louis Children’s Hospital until 1970. During that period, he was promoted to associate professor of pediatrics in 1963 and later full professor in 1972.

Throughout his career, Herweg was active in the medical community. He served as chairman of the Central Region's Group on Student Affairs (GSA) of the Association of American Medical Colleges, vice-chairman of the National GSA, and chairman of the committee on admissions for the "13 Medical School Consortium." In the local medical organizations, Herweg served as the secretary-treasurer of the St. Louis Pediatric Society, and president of the St. Louis Children's Hospital Staff Society.

Scope and content

The interviewer asked John Herweg to discuss his experiences at St. Louis Children's Hospital during the Alexis Hartmann era, 1936-early 1960s. As a medical student at Washington University in 1942-1945. He mentions his first wife, Janet Scovill, who had finished her pediatric residency at Children's before him. Janet died in 1958. He also speaks of his present wife Dottie Glahn, who was head nurse of the infant ward at St. Louis Children's Hospital from 1947-1959. The interviewer asked him his recollections of Mrs. Langenberg, Gracie Jones and other women on women on the Board of Children's hospital. He also briefly discussed interactions with Estelle Claiborne, the hospital administrator. He recalls that World War II's major effect on St. Louis Children's Hospital was reduction of the number of house officers. The residents who were in charge of the hospital during the nighttime hours were consequently overworked. Concerning the Butler Ward, the segregated ward for African-Americans, he admits the house officers might have integrated Children's Hospital earlier. He thought integration came about when Dave Golden called up Hartmann later and said he wanted to put an African American patient on a ward by treatment needed rather than in the Butler ward. Hartmann agreed and Herwig thought that was the beginning of integration of St. Louis Children's Hospital.

System of arrangement

Conditions governing access

The collection is open and accessible for research.

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

Users of the collection should read and abide by the Rights and Permissions guidelines at the Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives.

Users of the collection who wish to cite items from this collection, in whole or in part, in any form of publication must request, sign, and return a Statement of Use form to the Archives.

For detailed information regarding use of this collection, contact the Archives and Rare Book Department of the Becker Library (arb@wusm.wustl.edu).

Preferred Citation:

Item description, Reference Code, Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis.

Languages of the material

  • English

Scripts of the material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

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Alternative identifier(s)

Rules or conventions

"Describing Archives: A Content Standard, Second Edition (DACS), 2013."

Sources used

Archivist's note

© Copyright 2019 Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives. All rights reserved.

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