Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Drew School
With the end of segregation practices in 1971, the school became the Drew Model School, a countywide magnet school. In 2000 the school was demolished to make way for a new school building, also to be named in honor of Dr. Drew.
Erected by Arlington County.
Location. 38° 50.918′ N, 77° 5.132′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of South 23rd Street and South Kenmore Street, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. The marker is located in the southeast corner of the Drew School parking lot adjacent to
the arch. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3500 S 23rd St, Arlington VA 22206, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Macedonia Baptist Church (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Washington and Old Dominion Trail (approx. 0.3 miles away); Tracks Into History (approx. 0.3 miles away); Nauck: A Neighborhood History (approx. 0.3 miles away); Mt. Zion Baptist Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Fort Barnard (approx. 0.4 miles away); Fort Berry (approx. half a mile away); Margaret Elizabeth Pfohl Campbell (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.
Also see . . . Drew Model Elementary School. (Submitted on October 10, 2013.)
Categories. • African Americans • Education • Science & Medicine •

By Allen C. Browne, November 29, 2015
4. Charles R. Drew
This 1953 portrait of Charles R. Drew by Betsy Graves Reyneau hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.
“In 1940 with German bombers dropping their deadly cargoes daily on British cities, England stood in desperate need of blood supplies for its thousands of wounded civilians. To fill this shortage, the British turned to the African American physician Charles Drew, America's recognized pioneer in the preservation and storage of blood. Drew expeditiously organized the Blood Transfusion Association, and the crisis in war-torn England's hospitals was met. A year later, Drew became the medical director of the American Red Cross's blood-donor project, and it was largely because of his expertise that this enterprise saved many American lives during the war. Yet when the Red Cross ordered that all non-Caucasian blood be stored separately, Drew resigned, stating that there were no scientific or medical reasons for classifying blood by race. Today Drew is universally deemed the ‘Father of the Blood Bank.’” — National Portrait Gallery
“In 1940 with German bombers dropping their deadly cargoes daily on British cities, England stood in desperate need of blood supplies for its thousands of wounded civilians. To fill this shortage, the British turned to the African American physician Charles Drew, America's recognized pioneer in the preservation and storage of blood. Drew expeditiously organized the Blood Transfusion Association, and the crisis in war-torn England's hospitals was met. A year later, Drew became the medical director of the American Red Cross's blood-donor project, and it was largely because of his expertise that this enterprise saved many American lives during the war. Yet when the Red Cross ordered that all non-Caucasian blood be stored separately, Drew resigned, stating that there were no scientific or medical reasons for classifying blood by race. Today Drew is universally deemed the ‘Father of the Blood Bank.’” — National Portrait Gallery
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on October 10, 2013, by Kevin Vincent of Arlington, Virginia. This page has been viewed 383 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 10, 2013, by Kevin Vincent of Arlington, Virginia. 4. submitted on November 30, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.