In Black America; The Late Alfred N. Poindexter, Veterinarian/Professor

From the University of Texas at Austin, KUT Radio, this is in Black America. When I wanted to become a veterinarian, I really wanted to become a meat inspector, and because the people that I knew that was the emphasis that they were on was meat inspection. And so I had no experiences with animals because I was raised in the city, played ball on the street, and the only horses that I saw, they were either pulling a bakery wagon or garbage wagon or something like that, but I never did see any horses or cows or anything, because I didn't have that background. So one of the things that I had to overcome when I got to college was I had to learn something about animals,

because the only thing I knew about was the dog or cat, and their emphasis at that time, and still is, would be on animals like horses, cows, meat bearing animals, and I didn't know anything about that. The late Dr. Alfred N. Point Dexter Jr., Veterinarian and Professor Emeritus of Animal Science and the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences at Preview NM University. Point Dexter joined PV in 1945 and retired in 2004, after 59 years of service, known affectionately as doc by clients, students, colleagues, and friends, Point Dexter taught anatomy and physiology, disease and sanitation, animal health, animal breathing, and reproductive physiology. Known as the best vet, he began his career at PV as an adjunct lecturer. He assumed the role of a professor in vet Marion in 1947, and provided leadership for students in developing, implementing, evaluating, and interpreting educational programs in agriculture and animal husbandry.

In March 2005, PV University honored him with a retirement scholarship gala. More than 600 people attended the affair, which raised money that were placed in the Alfred N. Point Dexter Scholarship Fund for outstanding students in the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences. In 1966, Point Dexter was inducted into the Texas Heritage Hall of Fame. Point Dexter died on August 19, 2006. He was 85. I'm John L. Hanson Jr. and welcome to another edition of In Black America. On this week's program, remembering the late Dr. Alfred N. Point Dexter Jr. in Black America. In 1945, there were very few opportunities for black kids in veterinary medicine. Most of the opportunities were in meat inspection. As I said before, I found out that most of the students did not want to be meat inspectors. They wanted to be in private practice, they wanted to teach school, they wanted to be in research, or in the military,

or various other aspects of veterinary medicine. Then I changed my focus. When this particular position became available, I decided to come down. I had two offers. One at Tuskegee Institute, who were just starting a veterinary school, and then one at Per Review. And then I had one from the government. But like I said, I wanted to teach. And so I made the choice between Per Review and Tuskegee. The late Dr. Alfred N. Point Dexter Jr. was the co-founder of Per Review's trail ride that annually traveled through the Houston livestock show. Point Dexter taught animal science at Per Review and M University for 59 years. Born on July 22, 1921 in Kansas City, Missouri, he graduated from Lincoln High School. He attended Kansas State Teachers College at Pittsburgh, Kansas. In May of 1945, he received a doctorate of veterinary medicine degree from Kansas State University.

He was the only African-American in his class. He received degree during World War II by serving in the Army Specialized Training Program. Point Dexter began his career at Per Review and M as an adjunct lecturer. In 1947, he became professor in the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences and University Veterinarian. During his tenure at PV, Point Dexter taught classes in anatomy, physiology, disease, and sanitation, animal health, animal breeding, and reproductive physiology. He also provided veterinary services to the surrounding community. In 1947, Point Dexter became one of the first two African-American members of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association. In 1992, he was elected by the Texas Commission of Agriculture as one of the foremost outstanding African-American agriculturalists in the state. Also that year, the Texas A&M Board of Region, recognized him by renaming Previews Veterinary Hospital after him. In 1996, he was inducted into the Texas Heritage Hall of Fame.

At the time of his retirement in August 2004, he was the oldest practicing African-American veterinarian in the country. In fall 1996, in Black America, Chapter Preview had him to speak with the late Dr. Point Dexter. That time is very difficult to become a veterinarian and it also is now. But I had a role model. I had two role models. One was a veterinarian and the other, gentlemen, I thought was a veterinarian. But he had two pretty daughters and two sons, and we were all friendly, but I always thought that he was a veterinarian because everybody called him Doc and respected him. And I respected him also. And later when I attended Kansas State University, I found out that he was not a veterinarian, but he was a lay inspector at a packing house. But it does show you that individuals can have influences on people's lives if they are respected and if they do the right thing. Once you realized that you wanted to be a veterinarian, what was some of the processes that you had to go through as far as getting that degree in veterinary medicine?

When I wanted to become a veterinarian, I really wanted to become a meat inspector because the people that I knew that was the emphasis that they were on was meat inspection. And so I had no experiences with animals because I was raised in the city, played ball on the streets, and the only horses that I saw, they were either pulling a bakery wagon or garbage wagon or something like that. But I never did see any horses or cows or anything because I didn't have that background. So one of the things that I had to overcome when I got to college was that I had to learn something about animals because the only thing I knew about was the dog or cat. And their emphasis at that time and still is would be on animals like horses, cows, meat bearing animals, and I didn't know anything about that. So I had to learn all about that.

With any other blacks in your class, there was one young man in my class that started with me, but unfortunately he didn't finish because he wanted to really be an engineer. And his parents wanted him to be a veterinarian, but he really wanted to be an engineer. So he didn't finish. Actually I went the whole four years by myself. There were four other blacks in the school of veterinary medicine at the time. And in the four year program at that time, but nobody but me in my class. Did you have to put forth more efforts than your wild counterparts while you were in veterinary school? Well, maybe so. We had problems with some of the students, not many. We had more problems with the teachers. I believe at the time some of the teachers, they were nice, but they felt like I guess blacks, one particular teacher felt like he wanted to know why I wanted to be a veterinarian. And instead of encouraging me, he more or less discouraged me. He asked me, what was I going to do? What are black folks going to do when they get to be veterinarians?

And so we had obstacles. And then there were certain organizations we couldn't join and participate in, but yet we went to school. So I had decided in my life that I needed an education and to do some of the things that I wanted to do in life. And I was determined to get that education. And I guess I was somewhat militant, but I knew that I needed education and I was not going to let someone like that stand in my way. Some of the sacrifices you had to endure and also your parents at that time. Well, I guess we had many sacrifices. The first thing was that my parents didn't have a lot of money. And they had a lot of love for me. And they did all that they could. And I worked hard and made many sacrifices. And incidentally, I was married the full four years that I was in vet school. So my wife had to make sacrifices too.

And our biggest problem possibly was money. And then the army came in for two years and solicited. And maybe nationalized all of the classes. And so that took a burden off of me because I was able to give my wife somewhat of an allowance. And I had a uniform. I didn't have to buy any clothes. And I was getting three meals a day. And so that took a lot of the burdens off of me and my family for at least two years. But I worked hard. And I worked hard for a little of nothing. I shine shoes. I washed windows. I opened up windows. I washed pots and pans. And I swept floors. And I did a lot of menial work. And I didn't mind. And I enjoyed it because it helped me to become a man and to further my education. You mentioned earlier about having to learn animals. Is there a great difference between an animal structure and the human skeleton?

Oh, not really. I'm in the process now of teaching anatomy and physiology to students here at Prairie View. And I think most of the people are making associations what I'm teaching them about animals to their own body. So they're learning a lot about their bodies because they are the same. They function the same. They may look different, but they function the same. In Prairie View in 1945, straight out of veterinary school, how did you happen to arrive here in Prairie View and give us an example of how that scenario took place? Well, in 1945, there were very few opportunities for black kids in veterinary medicine. Most of the opportunities were in meat inspection. And as I said before, I found out that most of the students did not want to be meat inspectors. They wanted to be in private practice. They wanted to teach school. They wanted to be in research or in the military, various other aspects of veterinary medicine. And so then I changed my focus.

And so when this particular position became available, I decided to come down. I had two offers, one at Tuskegee Institute, who were just starting a veterinary school, and then wanted Prairie View. And then I had one from the government. But like I said, I wanted to teach. And so I made the choice between Prairie View and Tuskegee. And the money wasn't good either places. But it was, I guess, as good as it could be for that time. But they offered me $200 a month. And they offered me $300 a month at Tuskegee. But I elected to come here. And I came here in 1945, called the train. And they had a terrible storm in Dallas. So I missed my connection. And the train didn't stop at Prairie View. And it stopped in Houston. So I had to call the person who hired me and told him that I couldn't make the connection.

So he said, well, you come on to Houston. And I'll meet you in Houston. And he did. He bet me in Houston. And I guess I must have looked intelligent because he picked me out of the crowd. But I came to Prairie View that night. He brought me back in the 1936 Ford. And the next morning, I was supposed to go to Texas A&M to take the board examination. And he was late in picking me up. And but he took me up there. And when I got to Texas A&M, the person in charge of the examinations. Well, first of all, I saw one person from Kansas that I knew. The guy named Steve Shannon. And so this made me feel a little better. And so the gentleman told me, he said that you are, you're late. Well, I couldn't help that. But I said, well, how far have you gone? He said, well, we've almost finished the first section.

I said, well, let me have the first section. And I'll try to catch up. And I did. I called up right away. And seemingly made quite of impression on them because many years after that, they said the point they started out his dissertation by saying, first of all, a veterinarian should be a gentleman. And you know, we thought about that a long time and said, but you know, a partnership was right. And so everything went well. And then I came on back to Prairie View and started my occupation here. Give us an idea of how those first couple years, knowing you wanted to teach, but actually convincing yourself of having qualifications to be a good teacher. Well, I have always been a very confident individual. And I've always believed that one should prepare yourself well to do anything that he wants to do. And so I felt like I did a good job of preparing myself to teach. And I felt like I had the knowledge to do many things with animals, even though I never had the experiences of doing them. But my wife was a great supporter of mine. And I would discuss things with her and she'd say, oh, you can do that operation.

You know, you can do that and just take your time. And so everything went well. I didn't have any problems. The thing that bothered me most was that at that time, I didn't have an automobile. Automobiles were not available. And so it was hard, very difficult for us to get around, to get around places. But people would come and get me, take me out to farms, bring me back at their shoes. And because many times they'd say, well, I have to eat dinner before I take you back. Or I need to stop by this place. But everything worked out real well with my teaching, with the practice, and with the people that I came in contact with. Do you find enthusiasm from today's students, as such as they were when you first came to PV in 45? I believe that the students then were more enthusiastic than they are now. And it's hard to describe that, but the students that I taught, oh, maybe 52 years ago, they had a definite purpose in mind, and they wanted to get an education.

They came to class on time, and they hung around, they don't do that anymore. And maybe it's because they have transportation. Many of the students have to have jobs to make it. And many of them arrange your class schedules to fit their jobs. And other activities. And so I think it's a lot different. But we are in a new age, and you always have to bridge that generation gap. But I think it's a lot different. Because I know a lot of the students here, they don't come to class, or they don't seem to be as interested as they used to be. We're living in an information technological aid, has technology significantly changed the way UT's veterinary medicine or how veterinary medicine is practiced? Oh yeah, yeah. It's different now with the computer, with the machines and things that we used to do by hand.

We do with machines and the technology, like MRIs and different tests, you know, it's far superior. But it's nice that you had that basic knowledge to start off with so that you can't handle the new technology. But yeah, it's completely different. What keeps Dr. Poindex at a level of enthusiasm to teach today as you were teaching 50 years ago? Well, I think I am as enthusiastic. I have a deep appreciation for learning and to help students to learn and to progress. And I just, I enjoy teaching, I enjoy practicing, I enjoy animals. And so for that reason, I guess this keeps me going. Because I've been doing this for 52 years. I just talked to a gentleman a little while ago, and he said that he worked at a place for 19 years, and he was just tired.

And he said, he wanted to quit. But I noticed a lot of people too, also, that lose enthusiasm after they get home and start doing nothing, then they want to go back to work. But I've never lost my enthusiasm. And I enjoy what I'm doing today as much as I did when I started. And I guess if I didn't, I would stop. You're mentioning your wife has always stuck by you through your career and why you're in veterinary college. You and her making an adjustment, also bringing up a family down here in Preview, Texas, which is roughly 50 miles from Houston. So basically, you're out in the middle of farm country, rural America. Well, my wife has been my wind under my sails. We've been married 55 years, and she's been very enthusiastic. She has been disappointed a lot of times because I'm sure that she wants to do things and go places that it's not easy for me to go or not easy for me to do because of other commitments like teaching or practicing. But she has been very understanding and I love her very much. And we've raised our children. We have five children. And you mentioned that we do live outside and all of my children live in the Houston area, but not out here.

But we're very comfortable out here. We have all of the luxuries and the necessities that one would have in the city. And so we enjoy it. Do you find the problems or the stigma of racism somewhat diminished if you're the only veterinary within the two or 300 mile area and if someone's animal is sick, you being a black veterinary has little or nothing to do with the decision and I'm calling you. I think I'm sure that we have some problems with that, but I think if you're well prepared and can do the job, I think people will use you or consult with you regardless of your color. They are your background. They call you for what you can do and what you can do for them. So I've had some problems and I'm sure everyone will have problems like that with racism, but very little, very little through the years.

And I have been the only veterinarian in this particular area for a long time, not now, but used to be. And I was one of the original veterinarians. When I first came here, I was the only black veterinarian. There was a black veterinarian before me who was very outstanding and very well thought of. And people still think a lot of him and he's passed on. And I've always tried to pattern after him and live in his footsteps and have the same type of record that he had. But I think everything has worked well for me because I think the majority of my clientele may be the nothing minority would be the majority.

Since you mentioned administrations, you know, I was hired by Mr. Willette Rutherford Banks and he was a principal. This was in 1945. And so I've been here through every president that prairie view has had. And so I have been exposed to many administrative styles. And I am a very compatible person. And I think I can make the adjustments with everyone. But I've never had any problems. And then veterinary medicine at Prairie Indian University is a science of discourse where they don't more or less let you do what you want to do. But if you're doing the right thing, I haven't been bothered. And so I think everything is worked very well for me through the years and when the hospital, the clientele and the service and the services we rented to the students and to the university and to the university, a livestock and to the community.

I think it's been very good. So we've had no problems whatsoever. You mentioned earlier some lack of exposure to veterinary medicine. But if young people understood that one is in a rewarding occupation, one can make a decent and livable wage in this particular practice. And last but not least, if individuals were exposed or had opportunity, city individuals had an opportunity to see what veterinary medicine has to offer. Do you find more young people now, particularly African Americans or other minorities going into the field? Well, speaking of Afro-Americans, I think if I would sit down with 50 people and we'd say 25 would be Afro-American and 25 would be Caucasians or other races, I think maybe just a select few of Afro-Americans would want to become veterinarians.

And a substantial amount of the majority of Caucasians would want to be veterinarians. And I think a lot of this would possibly be due to role models. And there are only just a very few veterinarians. Texas has 3,300 or 4,000 veterinarians practicing in the state. I'm not sure on these figures, but I don't think they're more than 10 or 15 practicing in the state or in the state working. And so if kids don't see role models and they see someone else doing it, they might they would want to do it. I know I had role models and I'm sure you had role models. But I think role models is one thing that would be very important.

Afro-American kids and not only that all kids can make a good living to be able to purchase their homes, educate their children, and do all the things they want to do in life. There is a new study out, I think by a gentleman at Vanderbilt, and he's saying that the field of veterinary medicine has become saturated. And he has figures to substantiate that. And he recommends that maybe vet schools might need to raise their tuition or reduce the numbers that they are admitting. Because maybe in the year 2000, there'll be more veterinarians and they will be positions. But we haven't got to that point yet. And some people don't want to accept that. But there are a lot of veterinarians. You see when I went to vet school, there were 10 veterinary colleges in the nation. And of the 10, most of them were graduating about 60 per year. So that made about 600 veterinarians coming out in 1945. And now there are about 27 or 28 veterinarians schools in the continental United States. And all of them are producing at least 100. Some of them may be 128. So you see how many veterinarians there are out there.

Over the years, you've received numerous awards and citations. Well, I think this last award that I received about two weeks ago to be placed into Texas Heritage Hall of Honor. I think this was a real, real fine award that makes me feel very proud because I have been placed in the select company of a lot of the most important people in Texas. The late Dr. Alfred N. Poindexter, Jr. Poindexter died on August 19, 2006. He was 85. If you have questions, comments or suggestions asked your future in Black America programs, email us at J. Hanson, H-A-N-S-O-N, at kut.org. Also, let us know what radio station you heard us over. The views and opinions expressed on this program are not necessarily those of this station or of the University of Texas at Austin.

You can hear previous programs online at kut.org. Until we have the opportunity again for technical producer David Alvarez, I'm John L. Hanson, Jr. Thank you for joining us today. Please join us again next week. This has been a production of kut radio.