Thomas Anderson Oral History Interview
Loading...
Description
Major Topics Covered:
- Anderson family involvement with MD Anderson and the Texas medical Center
- Personal recollections of R. Lee Clark, Ernst Bertner, Charles LeMaistre, John Mendelsohn and other MD Anderson figures
- The origins of MD Anderson and other Texas Medical Center institutions
- The formation of the Board of Visitors
- Physician referrals to MD Anderson, controversy and challenges
- Growth of MD Anderson and the Texas Medical Center
Interview Chapters
Chapter 01: About Monroe Dunaway Anderson
Chapter 02: Memories of Monroe Dunaway Anderson
Chapter 03: Connections with MD Anderson and Memories of R. Lee Clark, MD
Chapter 04: The Origin of the Texas Medical Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center
Chapter 05: The Early Growth of MD Anderson Cancer Center
Chapter 06: The Board of Visitors and Views of Dr. Charles LeMaistre
Chapter 07: Physician Referrals and Other Changes at a Growing Institution
Chapter 08: More on the “Primitive Beginnings” of MD Anderson and the Texas Medical Center
Chapter 09: Family Connections with MD Anderson and the Texas Medical Center
Identifier
AndersonTD_01_20040504
Publication Date
5-4-2000
Publisher
The Historical Resources Center, Research Medical Library, The University of Texas Cancer Center
City
Houston, Texas
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Topics Covered
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas System. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute at Houston, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute
Subject Headings
Anderson, Thomas Dunaway; Anderson, Monroe D. (Monroe Dunaway), 1873-1939; Clark, Randolph Lee, 1906-;University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center -- History;Texas Medical Center;Academic Medical Centers -- Texas -- Houston;Hospital Administration -- organization and administration – Texas;Fund Raising;Hospitals, Special;Hospitals;Health Facility Planning -- Houston (Tex.);Houston (Tex.);Oral History;Interviews
Disciplines
History of Science, Technology, and Medicine | Oncology | Oral History
Recommended Citation
Anderson, Thomas Dunaway and Marchiafava, Louis J. PhD, "Thomas Anderson Oral History Interview" (2000). Interview Sessions. 66.
https://openworks.mdanderson.org/mchv_interviewsessions/66
Conditions Governing Access
Open
About the Interview
About the Interview Subject
Thomas Dunaway Anderson (b. 9 March 2012, Oklahoma City; d. 14 June 2007, Houston) is a descendant of the institution’s namesake, Monroe Dunaway Anderson. He served on MD Anderson’s Board of Visitors, and other members of his family have given service to the Texas Medical Center. In this interview, Mr. Anderson recount the stories of Monroe Dunaway Anderson’s rise to success. He also tells the story of the acquisition of the land on which the Texas Medical Center was built and why MD Anderson was located in Houston rather than Galveston. He knew Monroe Dunaway Anderson as well as R. Lee Clark and Ernst Bertner, and shares recollections of these men. Mr. Anderson provides perspective on the physical growth of MD Anderson, the challenges of building up physician referrals to the cancer center, and the growth of research and care.
Original Profile:
The interview begins with Thomas Dunaway Anderson’s recollections of his uncle, Monroe Dunaway Anderson, the founder of the M.D. Anderson foundation and namesake of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The interview continues with a description of the establishment and purpose of the M.D. Anderson Foundation and the growth and development of several recipients of M.D. Anderson’s philanthropy, including the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the Texas Medical Center. Thomas Anderson’s memories and interactions regarding Dr. Randolph Lee Clark, the first full-time president of what is known today as the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, are recounted as well. A discussion concerning Thomas Anderson’s family contributions associated with the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the Texas Medical Center ends the interview.
Thomas Dunaway Anderson is the nephew of Monroe Dunaway Anderson, a philanthropist whose foundation helped fund numerous institutions in the Houston area including the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Born in Oklahoma City, March 6, 1912 to Frank Ervin Anderson and Burdine Clayton Anderson, Thomas D. Anderson moved to the Houston area in 1928 where he attended Rice University. He completed his degree at Washington and Lee University and then returned to Houston to practice law at the Andrews and Kurth law firm. He dedicated 63 years to practicing law and retired in 1993. He passed away at his home in Houston at the age of 95 in 2007.
During his lifetime, Thomas D. Anderson was a very active supporter of both civic and charitable institutions. Some of his many accomplishments include serving as chairman of the Kelsey-Seybold Foundation for 29 years. He also served as president of the Protestant Episcopal Church council of the Diocese of Texas and was a board member of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin. In 1962 he became a lifetime member of the MD Anderson Board of Visitors, and chaired the board from 1965 to 1974. Both he and his wife, Helen Sharp Anderson, were awarded the Ima Hogg Historic Achievement Award in 1997. In 1998, Anderson became the first recipient of the Leon Jaworski Award in honor of his commitment to community service.