Hot Springs in Garland County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Edith Irby Jones

Physician

— 1927 —

Edith Irby Jones Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 13, 2024

1. Edith Irby Jones Marker

Inscription.
She was the first African-American to attend and graduate from major university in the South, the University of Arkansas Medical School, and became a successful doctor, educator and philanthropist in Arkansas, Texas and overseas.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Science & Medicine • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is December 23, 1927.

Location. 34° 30.259′ N, 93° 2.849′ W. Marker is in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in Garland County. It is on East Grand Avenue (Business U.S. 70) just east of Malvern Avenue, on the right when traveling west. The marker is one of three murals on the west facade of the building at this location. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 211 East Grand Avenue, Hot Springs National Park AR 71901, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Arkansas’ Ouachita Mountains.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: John C. Puckett (here, next to this marker); Mamie Phipps Clark (a few steps from this marker); National Baptist Hotel (approx. 0.2 miles away); In Memory of the Students of Senior High School Who Made the Supreme Sacrifice (approx. ¼ mile away); To Honor All Purple Heart Recipients in Arkansas From All Wars (approx. ¼ mile away); Fallen Hero Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Staff SGT Charles R. Birnbaum (approx. ¼ mile away); 1st SGT John M. "Mickey" Callahan (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hot Springs.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Dr. Edith Irby Jones

Also see . . .
1. Edith Irby Jones (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: Edith Irby Jones (December 23, 1927 – July 15, 2019) was an American physician who was the first woman president of the National Medical Association and a founding member
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 13, 2024

2. Edith Irby Jones Mural
of the Association of Black Cardiologists. She was honored by many awards, including induction into both the University of Arkansas College of Medicine Hall of Fame and the inaugural group of women inducted into the Arkansas Women's Hall of Fame. She was the first African American to be accepted as a non-segregated student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the first black student to attend racially mixed classes in the American South. She was the first African American to graduate from a southern medical school, first black intern in the state of Arkansas, and later first black intern at Baylor College of Medicine.

(Submitted on January 9, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Dr. Edith Irby Jones.

Excerpt: In 1948, nine years before the "Little Rock Nine" integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, Edith Irby Jones became the first black student to attend racially mixed classes in the South, and the first black student to attend the University of Arkansas School of Medicine. Her enrollment in a previously segregated southern medical school made news headlines across
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 13, 2024

3. Edith Irby Jones Mural
It is the leftmost of three historical murals at this location.
the nation.
Although Edith Irby had been accepted to attend classes at the University of Arkansas School of Medicine, she was not allowed to use the same dining, lodging, or bathroom facilities as other students. Like many of her contemporaries, Edith Irby Jones was denied equal access to educational opportunities from childhood. But her abilities and talents were nurtured and supported by her family and the larger African-American community, leading her to believe that "you can do anything you want to do."

(Submitted on January 9, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on January 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 9, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 182 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 9, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.