R. Beecher Taylor III, DDS: 1st District

Abstract

R. Beecher Taylor III, DDS:1st District Judson L. Jeffries Before 1880, there were fewer than a dozen formally trained Black dentists in the United States. African Americans were not accepted into dental school until 1867, when Robert T. Freeman was admitted to Harvard University's school of dentistry. Three years later, George Grant, another African American student, graduated and was subsequently appointed to the school's faculty. Fortunately, the founding of Howard University's dental school in 1881 and the establishment of the dental department at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1886 resulted in a significant increase in the number of Black dentists in the following years. In fact, to date, these two historically Black schools have produced more Black dentists than any other dental school in US history. In 1960, however, of the little more than 3,000 dental school graduates, less than 2% were Black. Among that paltry number of Black dentists stood R. Beecher Taylor III, DDS. Below, readers will find material derived from several conversations with Dr. Taylor that occurred in June 2021. Judson L. Jeffries: Good Evening Brother Taylor and thank you for agreeing to be a part of this project. It is a pleasure to meet you. I've heard a great deal about you. R. Beecher Taylor: Well, I'm honored that you chose me to be a part of this project on the fraternity. I think what you're doing is important. JLJ: Thank you for saying that, I appreciate it. Let's get right into it shall we? RBT: Ok, good. JLJ: From what college did you graduate? RBT: I graduated from Fairfield University in Connecticut in 1952. JLJ: Oh, ok, I'm familiar with Fairfield's campus. I was there in the mid-2000s. Fairfield is right next to Bridgeport. RBT: Yes, it is. [End Page 275] JLJ: What was your major? RBT: I majored in Biology; in fact, when I graduated from Fairfield with a BS in Biology, I was the first Black to do so. JLJ: Man o' man, in 1952? RBT: Right, in 1952! JLJ: Again, I'm somewhat familiar with the school; Fairfield isn't a very old school, is it? RBT: No, it isn't, in fact the school was founded in 1947 and when I was a student there it was an all-male institution. JLJ: What was the Black student population like at Fairfield University back then? RBT: There was one Black student in the school's first graduating class and one Black student in the school's second graduating class, which was me. When I entered Fairfield, my class consisted of 300 students. Four years later, only 200 graduated. JLJ: Wow, that's unfortunate. RBT: Remember now, Fairfield was a Jesuit school. All the professors there were priests, meaning all the professors there were male. JLJ: I assume there were no Black priests, correct? RBT: No, there were no Black priests. JLJ: Were you active in student life at Fairfield? RBT: Oh, yes, I was on the basketball team there. In fact, I was Fairfield University's first Black basketball player. JLJ: Alright, alright, that's really important to know Brother Taylor, especially for someone like me who teaches a course at The Ohio State University on the Black athlete. RBT: Oh, you teach a course on the Black athlete? JLJ: Yes, indeed. Been teaching it for several years now. RBT: Oh, I see. JLJ: Did you play all four years? RBT: No, not all four years, just my freshman year. I played on the JV until about the fourth or fifth game then got bumped up to the varsity where I finished out the season. JLJ: Did you get any playing time on the varsity? RBT: Yes, I got lots of playing time, I just wasn't a starter. [End Page 276] JLJ: What schools did you guys compete against? RBT: Oh, let's see. We played against the University of Bridgeport, Saint Anselm College, Boston College, Providence College, Dartmouth College, and Holy Cross. These are the schools that come to mind right now. Oh, and you'll like this … I played against Bob Cousy who played for...