Tuskegee
Institute and the March of Dimes
The March of Dimes, then known as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, was founded in 1938 and began its support of the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) with a grant of $1.6 million for the construction of a 36-bed infantile paralysis center.
The Tuskegee Institute Infantile Paralysis Center became part of the children’s unit of the John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital, with Dr. John Chenault, Director of Orthopedic Surgery, at its head. It was the first after-care center for African-Americans with polio, dedicated on January 15, 1940 and opening on February 9,1940.
With this grant, the March of Dimes began its support for African Americans with polio and birth defects in the U.S. in order to honor its pledge that March of Dimes-sponsored care would be given without regard to race, creed, color, or religion.
March of Dimes President Basil O’Connor (1892-1972) hired the African-American civil rights leader, Charles Hudson Bynum (1905-1996), in 1943 to become the Foundation’s Director of Inter-racial Activities to maintain outreach to African Americans. Mr. Bynum had been an assistant to Tuskegee President Frederick Patterson. Basil O’Connor began his service on the Tuskegee Institute Board of Trustees in 1942.
In 1946, Mr. O’Connor became Chairman of the Tuskegee Institute Board of Trustees, serving in that capacity until 1968. During this time, March of Dimes grants to Tuskegee totaled $6.5 million for polio after-care, construction of facilities, equipment, nursing education, and student scholarships.
In 1971, Tuskegee Institute named its School of Nursing building in honor of Basil O’Connor as the March of Dimes established the Basil O’Connor Fund for Perinatal Nursing Education.
March of Dimes has enjoyed a cordial and positive relationship with Tuskegee through the years, and Tuskegee Institute President Dr. Luther H. Foster served on the March of Dimes Board of Trustees for 20 years, from 1966 to 1985.
Grant Allocations to Tuskegee Institute 1939 - 1971
| Year | Grant Amount | Use of Funds | Category |
| 1939 | $161,350 | Construction of John A. Andrew Hospital | General Advisory Committee (GAC) |
| 1940 | $1,000 | Scholarship for two nurses | Committee on Education (CE) |
| 1941 | $4,100 | Establishing a brace shop, training for brace-maker | CE |
| 1942 | $30,000 | Operation of infantile paralysis center (IP Units) | Miscellaneous Appropriation (MA) |
| 1943 | $35,000 | Operation of infantile paralysis center (IP Units) | MA |
| 1944 | $167,000 | Additional hospital facilities and training. IP unit; training to physicians | MA |
| 1945 | $183,980 | Contstuction/equipment for nurse's home & school. Maintenance/training for nursing school (5 years) | MA |
| 1946 | $560,000 | ($416,617 not disbursed) | |
| 1947 | $160,000 | IP unit ($10,765 not disbursed) Nursing school ($50,971 not disbursed) | Medical Care (MC) |
| 1948 | $205,418 | IP unit, Instructional program (nursing school) | MC |
| 1949 | $153,505 | IP unit, Establish lab facilities, nursing school program | MC |
| 1950 | $205,130 | Nursing school program, IP unit, develop lab facilities | CE/MC/CE |
| 1951 | $191,359 | Nursing school program, IP unit | Professional Education (PE) / MC |
| 1952 | $238,317 | Travel fellowship (Director of Research), Nursing school program, IP unit, Polio research | PE/PE/MC/MC |
| 1953 | $288,344 | Nursing school program, IP Unit | PE/MC |
| 1954 | $255,682 | Nursing school program, IP Unit | PE/MC |
| 1955 | $458,956 | Nursing school program, IP Unit | PE/MC |
| 1956 | $80,000 | Nursing school program | PE |
| 1957 | $453,151 | Nursing school program, IP Unit | PE/MC |
| 1958 | $310,297 | Nursing school program, IP Unit | PE/MC |
| 1959 | $332,878 | Nursing school program, Institutional support | PE/MC |
| 1960 | $310,000 | Nursing school program, Institutional support | PE/MC |
| 1961 | $320,000 | Nursing school program, Institutional support | PE/MC |
| 1962 | $200,000 | Nursing school program, Institutional support | PE/MC |
| 1963 | $110,000 | Nursing school program, Institutional support | PE/MC |
| 1964 | | NO DATA | |
| 1965 | $39,692 | Medical care progrm | MC |
| 1966 | $39,556 | Medical care progrm | MC |
| 1967 | $42,500 | Medical care progrm | MC |
| 1968 | | NO DATA | |
| | Note: the format of annual report grants data changed over time, and after 1968 was not reported in the same way as listed above. | |
| 1971 | $50,000 | Perinatal nursing education (10 year grant) | CPERT 112 |
Sources: February 7, 2011 / David Rose / March of Dimes Archives
