Why Isn’t He Famous? Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller & Friends

Thursday, February 24 @ 7PM
Zoom Program
Tickets: $5/FHC Member, $10/not-yet-a-member (purchase below)

Presenters: Ruthann Tomassini, FHC Researcher & Genealogist; Dr. Alfred DeMaria, Jr., Medical and Laboratory Consultant, Massachusetts Department of Public Health; and Dr. Edith Jolin, Instructor, Department of Medical Sciences and Education, Boston University School of Medicine

The Framingham History Center (FHC) receives inquiries regarding Framingham people and places daily but recently, two very synchronistic questions resulted in the creation of this program for Black History Month.  The first came from a Washington Post writer who was working on a story about Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller.  Upon learning more about Dr. Fuller’s history and his role in decoding Alzheimer’s disease, the reporter asked “why isn’t he famous?”  At the same time a separate inquiry came in concerning Dr. Jane Hinton who also lived in Framingham and was one of the first Black women in the US to become a doctor of veterinary medicine.  Upon further investigation, the FHC’s research volunteer, Ruthann Tomassini, discovered a deep familial connection between Dr. Solomon Fuller and Jane’s father Dr. William Hinton. Both men were pioneering black physicians who made incredible advancements in their fields of study but their findings were neglected by academia during their lifetimes.  Join us to learn more about the contributions of, and friendship between, the Fuller and Hinton families and why they should be famous! 

Image: Dr. Fuller is seated to the right of Dr. Alzheimer in a German laboratory

In collaboration with the Public Health Museum.