Beloved Milwaukee obstetrician and gynecologist, Dr. William Finlayson, 97, was honored by Bethel Temple Church of God in Christ and Pastor Vernon Crawley, on Sunday for his outstanding service to the Black community.
One of his patients, JoAnn Hackney, 71, a founding member of the church, was in attendance and recalled memories of Finlayson helping her through trying times. A sentiment shared by hundreds of mothers whose babies he delivered.
“We go way, way back,” Hackney said. “I thank the Lord for him. He’s saw me through so many trying times and I don’t want to cry, but I thank God for him. [I] met him in the 60’s. [That] was my first experience with Dr. Finlayson. He was my mom’s doctor and I’m almost 72 years old now but he has brought me through so many things. I’ll never be able to really tell you exactly how I feel.”
That’s right, it wasn’t just her. In fact, Hackney’s mother, Thelma Crawley, was also one of his patients.
“I don’t know if you remember me or not,” Hackney continued, “but I don’t think you could ever forget my momma because she worried you to death sometimes.”
Dr. Finlayson is responsible for delivering hundreds, if not thousands, of babies, opening Milwaukee’s first black-owned bank, founding many credit unions to help underserved African-Americans and ultimately helping desegregate Milwaukee’s medical field.
But his heroic journey through life began to takeoff in 1942, his sophomore year at Florida Agriculture and Mechanical College for Negroes or what we know today as Florida A&M University; when the U.S Army came to the school and told the male students that they would be permitted to finish college if they joined the enlisted reserve corp. Finlayson trained in Hawaii in June of 1943, in the midst of World War II. He served as 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army from 1943 through 1946 and then served in the Army Reserves from 1946 to 1953.
He attended Morehouse College, receiving his B.S. It was there he met a young man who would soon dream of a united world, his friend, Martin Luther King Jr. He received his M.D. from Meharry Medical College in 1953 and completed his residency at the University of Minnesota in 1958.
He arrived in Milwaukee shortly thereafter but would soon realize a “divided city.” Segregation was prevalent in Milwaukee in 1958, so much so, he wasn’t getting hired by the city’s best hospitals, due to his race. But that didn’t dissuade him from following through on his dream as he was eventually admitted as the first Black doctor at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Mount Sinai.
He then soon established his own private practice and practiced medicine for the next 40 years.
However, his passion for helping others, especially the Black community, didn’t stop at medicine. Finlayson opened Milwaukee’s first Black-owned bank; North Milwaukee State Bank, due to the number of African-Americans being denied loans from other banks.
Finlayson served as president of the Milwaukee Gynecological Society and of his local YMCA board. He’s a lifetime member of the NAACP, a member of the Urban League, and also served on Southeastern Wisconsin Health System Agency’s board of directors.
“You took me through three miscarriages and three live births,” Hackney said. “…You’ve made such an impact on so many families in Milwaukee. Seems like every woman in the city of Milwaukee at one time saw Dr. Finlayson. You and your wife were always there to bring me through. We certainly want today to honor you and just want to let you know that you’ve made such a tremendous impact on so many families in Milwaukee.”
Dr. Finlayson was presented with a plaque, and a card, which was signed by more than 100 children of former patients.