"Dr.Georgia Rooks Dwelle" (1884-1977)

The first Spellman College alumna to attend medical school,established the Dwelle Infirmary in 1920 in Atlanta.It was Georgia's first general hospital for African Americans,and its first

obstetrical hospital for African American women.The infirmary,which also featured a pediatric clinic,was Georgia's first venereal disease clinic for for African Americans,and offered Atlanta's first "Mother's Club"for African American women.She faced considerable hardships and discrimination,yet she continued to believe that no profession was better suited to serve humanity than medicine and that "competent women physicians" could find or create their own opportunities within the profession if they had to.She made this argument in a speech before the Spelman Club of Atlanta in 1940,and again in an interview given to the Spelman Messenger in 1974.Georgia spoke from experience,since her entire career was marked by creating her own opportunities for a career in medicine.She was born in Albany,Georgia,the daughter of a slave who bought freedom for himself and his mama.Georgia daddy a founder of the Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia and served many churches in northern Georgia,eventually becoming a trustee of Spelman Seminary,graduating an A.B.in 1900,finally at Meharry Medically College in Nashville.In order to catch up on premedical training,Georgia had to take extra courses at a nearby university and seek out special tutoring.Her diligence paid off,and she graduated with honors from Meharry in 1904.In fact,when she returned to Augusta and sat for the Georgia State Medical Board Examinations,she received the highest score that year and was cited for her unusual ability and thoroughness."
One of only three African-American women physicians in Georgia at that time,Dr.Dwelle practiced in Atlanta in 1906.After witnessing the terrible conditions in which many of Atlanta's poorest African American residents lived,she was inspired to establish the Dwelle Infirmary at 14 Boulevard Avenue in northwest Atlanta.With only a few rented rooms and only two beds,it was both the first general hospital for African Americans in Atlanta and the first "lying-in" obstetrical hospital for African Americanwomen.In 1920,the Dwelle Infirmary was officially incorporated.
By 1935,the tiny infirmary had expanded into general practice providing many services,including a
"well-baby" clinic,Georgia's first all-black clinic for venereal disease,and its first "Mother's Club"
for African-American women,offering mamas information and instruction in pre-and post-natal care.The Infirmary operated out of the same rented rooms for twenty-seven years,until Georgia retired to Chicago with her second husband.The clinic's closing in 1949 prompted an article in the
Atlanta Daily Wording, citing her long record of service and care.
During her medical career in Atlanta,Georgia Georgia was also active in the community.In addition to her abiding commitment to the Baptist Church,she was a member of the Women's Christian Twmperance Union,the health committee and Board of Management of the Atlanta Young Women's Christian as well as several local fraternal organizations.She also acted as the girls'physician at Morris Brown University and sat on the Board of Directors of Atlanta's Urban League and the Carrie Steel Orphanage.