LANSDALE, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Jefferson Lansdale Hospital recently celebrated the legacy and contributions of its founder, Dr. Frank E. Boston, with the unveiling of a portrait commissioned in his honor. The little-known history of this figure is leaving an impression on local residents.
George Whitehair, director of the Boston Legacy Foundation, says the doctor was a hero to war veterans and first responders.
“Our research showed that he was the first African American to start an ambulance and a hospital,” Whitehair said. Both continue to serve their communities almost 100 years later.
Boston was born in Philadelphia in 1891. He attended Lincoln University, served in World War One and, in 1934, founded Elm Terrace Hospital, now known as Jefferson Lansdale Hospital.
“Boston served with the 92nd [infantry division], known as the Buffalo Soldiers, that served in France during World War One, as a field surgeon. It was his return from the war that caused him to start an ambulance corps,” Whitehair said.
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There were other hospitals started earlier — two in Philadelphia, Whitehair said — but Boston was the first Black man to start a hospital and an ambulance corps, the Lansdale Volunteer Medical Services Corps.
He received two presidential citations, from President Dwight Eisenhower, for his work helping disabled people, and from President Harry Truman, for his work with the Red Cross.
Hospital administrators chose Detroit artist Mario Moore to create Boston’s portrait, which is now displayed in the lobby of the Lansdale facility, along with a bust of the doctor, a timeline, and a picture of the original hospital.
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Moore says he was blown away when he learned about Boston’s accomplishments, and he wanted to make sure he captured the doctor properly.
“And that had to do with me figuring out how to include as much as possible about his history in the portrait, but also keep it simple and poignant,” Moore said. He says It’s all in the details.
“You’ll notice that he has an Army Medical Reserve pendant on his jacket, and then the paper that he’s holding is the first hospital, the original hospital, that he worked from out of a home.”
During EMS Week later this month, Boston will be honored at the World War I memorial in Washington, D.C., for his work with the ambulance corps. A street will be named in his honor in Lansdale later this year.