Dallas County Medical Society Alliance Foundation

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Dallas County Medical Society Alliance Foundation. Now settle in, because this one starts with a meeting that didn't look like much from the outside, but it had a long reach. May 4, 1917.

Seventeen doctors' wives gather to hear a proposal from Mrs. John O. McReynolds.

The proposal: form a woman's auxiliary to the Dallas County Medical Society. Simple enough on the surface. Except this would be the first group of its kind in the entire country.

The nation had just entered the First World War, the Red Cross had mounting needs, and Mrs. McReynolds saw something others hadn't quite focused on yet. There were opportunities, year-round ones, for volunteering around better hygiene, nutrition, and home safety.

So seventeen women sat down, heard her out, and said yes. That first meeting in Dallas lit a fire. Before the year was out, auxiliaries had formed in McLennan and Bexar counties as well, inspired by the work of that original group.

Then on May 15, 1918, all three counties came together to form an auxiliary to the Texas Medical Association. They needed a president. They chose Mrs.

Edward H. Cary of Dallas. Now the story doesn't stop at the Texas state line.

When the American Medical Association convened on May 24, 1922, it was Dr. Edward H. Cary who stood up and proposed a resolution to form a woman's auxiliary to the AMA.

That resolution was approved. And in 1927, the woman who started the whole chain of events, Mrs. McReynolds herself, was elected president of that national auxiliary.

The Dallas County Auxiliary kept its attention close to home too. Children and improvements to local medical facilities were at the center of their focus. They built a cottage at Savage Lake and donated it to the Salvation Army so underprivileged children could have a place to stay during the summer.

Throughout the fifties, the auxiliary turned its energy toward community health and education. And in 1954, responding to a nursing shortage, they established the Edith Cavell Nursing Scholarship Fund. In 1973, the national organization revised its bylaws to open membership to male spouses.

Then in November 1974, the family of Rena Munger and George N. Aldredge finalized the donation of Aldredge House, a home built in 1917, to the auxiliary. In 2003, the local organization took a new name: the Dallas County Medical Society Alliance Foundation.

One proposal. Seventeen women in a room. And what grew from that meeting on May 4, 1917, reached from Dallas all the way to the American Medical Association, and kept on growing from there.

What the marker says

On May 4, 1917, a group of 17 doctors" wives met to discuss a proposal by Mrs. John O. McReynolds to form a woman's auxiliary to the Dallas County Medical Society - the first group of its kind in the country. With the nation's entry into WWI and increasing needs of the Red cross, Mrs. McReynolds saw that there were many opportunities for year-round volunteering including promoting better hygiene, nutrition and home safety. Their work inspired the formation of auxiliaries in McLennan and Bexar counties that same year. The three counties met on May 15, 1918, to form an auxiliary to the Texas Medical Association, with Mrs. Edward H. Cary of Dallas serving as the first president. When the American Medical Association met on May 24, 1922, Dr. Edward H. Cary proposed a resolution to form the woman's auxiliary to the AMA, which was approved. Mrs. McReynolds was elected President of the national auxiliary in 1927. The Dallas County Auxiliary focused on children and improvements to medical facilities in the area. A cottage was built at Savage Lake and donated to the Salvation Army for housing underprivileged children during the summer. Throughout the fifties, the auxiliary's efforts went to community health and education. In 1954, in response to the nursing shortage, the Edith Cavell Nursing Scholarship Fund was established. In 1973, the national organization revised its bylaws to allow the membership of male spouses. In November 1974, the family of Rena Munger and George N. Aldredge finalized the donation of Aldredge House, built in 1917, to the auxiliary. In 2003, the local organization's name was changed to the Dallas County Medical Society Alliance Foundation.