Late that summer I was notified that I had been awarded a generous scholarship which would cover most of my tuition. The scholarship was renewable if I continued to perform well academically. I was happy to give up construction work, and my wife and I decided to stay in New Orleans for the summer of 1965 where I worked in the Department of Pathology at the medical school assisting with autopsies and cataloging surgical specimens. The student population at the medical school during the summer months is of course much thinner, the pace is slower and there is much more time for social interaction.

The summer of 1965 was unique in a very important way. On July 30, 1965 President Lyndon Johnson signed into law legislation establishing Medicaid and Medicare, thus providing medical care to millions of Americans who either couldn’t afford medical care or were not insurable. President Harry Truman became the first Medicare recipient, recognizing his efforts to create a national health insurance plan 20 years earlier.

Amongst physicians and educators the Medicare legislation was highly controversial. Everyone had an opinion and many were negative. During the months prior to the passage of the bill and immediately afterward, I repeatedly received advice about the future of medical care in the United States: “Tom, it’s not too late. If I were you, I would quit medical school now and go to law school.” This was very unsettling advice due both to the frequency that I received it and the fact that the advice frequently came from respected physicians and professors. Following a period of considerable uneasiness, I concluded that I really didn’t have a good grasp of what the current practice of medicine was like and that it was going to be more than a few years before that happened. Ultimately, I didn’t think it likely that the need for dedicated physicians was about to diminish dramatically. My recently awarded scholarship had substantially reduced my financial burden and my commitment to a medical education was deep.

I will be forever grateful to Tulane for the education that I received and for the support provided. A few years ago, my wife and I established an endowment to support tuition for Tulane medical students. We add to that each year and it is a part of our legacy.