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March/April 2006: Issue 129
The First Female Graduate of UAMS
In 2003 the Library’s Historical Research Center (HRC) received an innocent sounding phone call from Bonnie Axelson in Chicago. She wanted to know more about one of her ancestors, Dr. Annie Schoppach. Bonnie had been told that Annie was the first female graduate of what is now UAMS, and wanted more information.
A couple of years later Richard Clark, M.D. submitted an article to the Pulaski County Historical Society concerning Dr. Schoppach. The article, “Dr. Annie Schoppach: First Female Graduate of UAMS,” was published in the Winter 2005 issue of the Pulaski County Historical Review.
On April 9, 2006 Bonnie and Roy Axelson were in attendance at the Pulaski County Historical Society’s presentation on “Dr. Annie Schoppach: First Woman Graduate of Medical School and Practitioner in Hard Times.”
Sharon Keel, with help from Amanda Saar, did much of the research for both the article and the presentation. Bonnie was gracious enough to share photographs and information, and is continuing to look for items that might be of interest to the Historical Research Center.
The HRC has the matriculation and registration books for the early years of UAMS, as well as other material about medical care and its practitioners in the early days of Arkansas, which could be useful for researchers.
If you, or someone you know, has ancestors that might have had something to do with medicine, nursing, or pharmacy in Arkansas contact Amanda Saar, History of Medicine Librarian at 501-686-6733 or SaarAmandaE@uams.edu.