Dr. Edith Irby Jones

December 23, 1927 - July 15, 2019

Edith Irby was born on December 23, 1927, in Mayflower, Arkansas, to Mattie Buice Irby and Robert Irby. From the humble beginnings of being the daughter of a sharecropper and domestic worker, Dr. Irby Jones rose above her adversities. At the age of five, her father was killed by a horse, leaving her mother to care for three children alone. Her mother was forced to give up the family farm and possessions and move to Hot Springs Arkansas where Dr. Irby Jones grew up. Her older sister died at 12 years of age from typhoid fever. Both her father’s and sister’s deaths planted the seed of determination for Dr. Irby Jones to be a physician. She saw that when the injured and sick had access to good medical care, they had a better chance at survival. Most people of color did not have access to a doctor or quality medical care. As a young child, Dr. Irby Jones suffered from rheumatic fever, preventing her from attending school until she was 9 years old. Her mother taught her at home and encouraged her to excel. Although Dr. Irby Jones entered school late, she accelerated and graduated from Langston High School in 1944. Her high school teacher, Mrs. Margaret Martin helped her attend Mrs. Martin’s alma mater, Knoxville College, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Dr. Irby Jones did not have the money for tuition but she received a scholarship and she worked in the President’s office as his assistant using her outstanding short-hand and typing skills. Requiring three names at graduation, Dr. Irby Jones took the middle name of “Mae” and became Edith Mae Irby. After graduating in 1948, Dr. Irby Jones applied to medical schools and completed a graduate course at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in preparation for medical school. University of Arkansas Medical School accepted Dr. Irby Jones and she became the first African American to be admitted to a white medical school in the South. Union Missionary Baptist Church took up collections to help with her tuition and living expenses. This is the church where Dr. Irby Jones accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior when she was a little girl. This is also the church that nurtured her faith, self-esteem and social skills throughout her childhood. Mrs. Daisy Bates, a Civil Rights Activist, with her husband, L.C. Bates supported Dr. Irby Jones throughout her studies and ran a campaign in their Arkansas State Press to financially help Dr. Irby Jones pay her tuition. Mr. and Mrs. Bates became lifelong friends. Dr. Jones received a lot of encouragement but also threats. The harsh realities of segregation dictated that Dr. Irby Jones could not use the same bathroom, library or cafeteria as her fellow students. Dr. Irby Jones did not become bitter but used her notoriety to speak to African American students in the area to urge them to not be limited in their aspirations. Dr. Jocelyn Elders, former Surgeon General of the United States remembers being one of those students and being inspired to become a physician. During her time at the medical school, Dr. Irby Jones also made secret trips with teams of workers from the NAACP to enroll members for the organization and to register voters. She was a member of the “Freedom Four” along with Attorneys Floyd Davis, Harold Flowers and Bob Booker. During her second year of school, Dr. Irby Jones’ mother died. Dr. Irby Jones continued her studies despite her loss. That same year, she married Dr. James B. Jones, a professor at Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical & Normal College (Arkansas AM&N) in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. They had three children and formed a loving partnership that lasted until Dr. J.B. Jones’ death in 1989. Together, the doctors acquired property to provide affordable housing to struggling families and helped numerous students to go to college and find employment. In 1952, Dr. Irby Jones received her Doctor of Medicine degree, as the first African-American graduate from University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and was accepted to complete the first residency by an African American at a hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. Dr. Irby Jones opened her family practice in Hot Springs, Arkansas, serving all who needed medical care regardless of ability to pay. In 1959, Dr. J.B. Jones was offered the associate dean position at Texas Southern University and the family moved from Hot Springs to Houston, Texas. They joined Antioch Missionary Baptist Church where both doctors were active in the church. Dr. Irby Jones was a Golden Member at Antioch and a member of the Priscilla Circle and Golden Saints. The Women’s Ministry worked with Dr. Irby Jones to provide needed aid to her clinic in Haiti. In 2016, she was honored at the church’s 150 Anniversary Celebration. Dr. Irby Jones completed an internal medicine residency at Baylor College of Medicine, becoming the first African American female resident at Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals in Houston. In 1960, Dr. Irby Jones opened her private practice in the heart of Third Ward and continued caring for anyone who needed medical care until her retirement in 2013. She was appointed a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and at the University of Texas Medical School. Many medical students were privileged to experience a medical office dedicated to the community in which it was located. Dr. Irby Jones was involved in various professional organizations such as the Houston Medical Forum, Lone Star Medical Society, Harris County Medical Society, Houston Chapter of the American Heart Association and the American Medical Association. She was a charter member of Physicians for Human Rights, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 and a founding member of the Association of Black Cardiologists. She accepted many leadership roles, serving on a variety of committees. In 1985, She was elected the first female president of the National Medical Association. She traveled to Cuba, Mexico, China, Russia, Liberia and Ghana to exchange medical knowledge and to help establish clinics in Vaudreuil, Haiti and Veracruz, Mexico. Dr. Irby Jones was also very active in the community organizations such as Eta Phi Beta, Houston League of Business and Professional Women, Dorothy Heights Chapter of the National Council of Negro Women, Top Ladies of Distinction, Houston Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Grand Court of the Order of Calanthe and the Links, Inc. Dr. Irby Jones was recognized for her hard work and dedication. Here is just a sample of her numerous awards: In 1986, the City of Houston declared an Edith Irby Jones Day. In 1988, the American Society of Medicine named her Internist of the Year. In 1993, the American Gerontology Society recognized her for Great Contribution in the field of Medicine in the area of Gerontology. In 1998, President William Clinton issued a Presidential Citation to Dr. Irby Jones, honoring her with the Outstanding Achievement Award. In 2001, She received the Oscar E. Edwards Memorial Award for Volunteerism and Community Service from the American College of Physicians, American Society of Internal Medicine. In 2002, she received the Quentin Mease Community Service Award from the Houston Area Urban League. In 2007, she was named a Master by the American College of Physicians. In 2014, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock placed her marker on the Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail. Dr. Irby Jones was awarded Doctorates by Missouri Valley College (1988), Mary Holmes College (1989), Lindenwood College (1991) and Knoxville College (1992). Dr. Irby Jones loved many and was loved by many. She is predeceased by her husband, Dr. James B. Jones and her granddaughter, Safir Romain. She is survived by her three children: Gary I. Jones, Myra Jones Romain and Keith I. Jones (Kimberly Wright Jones), her grandchildren: Gamal Jones, H’Dari Jones, Johari Williams, Kani Romain Meyer, Aita Romain and Kenneth Jones, her 10 greatgrandchildren and a host of nephews, nieces and cousins. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in honor of Dr. Edith Irby Jones to: www.ABCCardio.org ABC Trainee/Fellow Cardiovascular Career Development Program Donations can be made online: https://abcardio.kindful.com/?campaign=1027453 Antioch Educational Scholarship Foundation AESFonline.org or AESF, PO Box 981, Houston, TX 77002 (memo Dr. Edith Irby Jones) Houston Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter Physical & Mental Health Program (Dr. Edith Irby Jones In memo). Payments can be made via PayPal: [email protected] or HMAC, c/o Dr. Edith Irby Jones PMH, PO Box 57108, Houston, TX 77256.