Etc.

Then & Now

By Bryant Boutwell, Dr.P.H.

What is the historical relevance of the number, 22, to the UT Medical School at Houston? Number of buildings – not quite. Number of deans in our history – no, that would be seven if acting and dean pro tems are not counted.

Twenty-two was the number of students in the first graduating class of the Medical School. The year was 1973 and photos of the first class roster date the class to a time when the men had longer hair and women were far and few between in the ranks of graduating physicians.

Today nearly 5,000 physicians have graduated from the Medical School since that first class, and the ratio between men and women graduates has grown to about 50/50. Given that the graduates of our school are our most important product, it is with great pride that in recent months a long corridor on the Medical School's ground floor is now home to the recently restored framed class rosters – from that initial class to the 2005 class of 200 students.

Just as our building had to recover from the flood of 2001, so did these rosters.

With some difficulty and a great deal of attention to detail, the fading and discolored class rosters on display prior to Tropical Storm Allison were pulled from their frames, scanned, and digitally restored student-by-student to rebuild the full class roster one at a time.

More than four years in the making (or remaking), they are now reframed and displayed with pride. This project was taken on by our Office of Communications – a talented staff who patiently rebuilt our class rosters, correcting for the fading and tests of humidity, heat, and time.

The next time you have the opportunity to visit the Medical School Building, look for the corridor of fame. Here you'll find many of the best physicians in Texas and beyond. While much has changed including hair styles and Buddy Holly glasses, some things haven't changed at all. Each and every graduate is an alum and part of a proud family of physicians who have graduated from this Medical School. The accomplishments are as diverse and many as the faces. See page 33 for a special offer to purchase a copy of your class roster. After all, how many of your classmates can you remember between the then and now?