University of Texas Health Science Center - IATRO Yearbook (Houston, TX)

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i eR a re The Beginning Of An Institution The breezeway. The anticipated target date for entering the com- pleted structure was set back for several months by the devastating flood of 1976. In June of that year, Gross Anatomy was to be held in the new facilities in the medical school basement. Prior to that time all dissec- tion was performed at the UT Dental School’s facilities. The 100 students of the class of 1976 had the unique, never again to be repeated experience of studying their cadavers in the plush Prudential Ballroom. Repairs were completed in September of that year, and the class of 1976 became the first to oc- cupy the new Main Building of the medical school. This same group of students were the last to graduate from this medical school when its curriculum con- sisted of only three years of study. With the anticipa- tion of much larger classes in the future, and with new facilities to easily handle the rapidly growing numbers of entering students, a four-year curriculum was in- stituted in the Fall of 1980. Because of the transition from a three-year to a four-year curriculum, there was no graduating class in 1980. A final modification to the school’s structure, the cyclotron, was completed and made operational last year. cae el me eS

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In the two years following its inception was a period of rapid growth, with the accumulation of top-rank educational and scientific resources, the establishment of a core curriculum, and more faculty appointments, including R. Rodney Howell, M.D., Walter M. Kirkendall, M.D., Stanley J. Dudrick, M.D., and Eugene Jacobson, M.D. In June of 1971, the first entering class of 32 students formally convened. The Basic Sciences at that time were held at the Center Pavillion Hospital, while all clinical training was done at any of the three affiliated UT medical school’s teaching hospitals. Classes progressively increased in size with each new year as our own facilities began to be built. With the completion of Phase I construction in 1972, the Freeman Building was opened as a classroom building for the teaching of the Basic Sciences. The new building was dedicated on October 28, 1972. George Bush, then the U.S. Ambassador to the United Na- tions, gave the keynote address. John H. Freeman, the building’s namesake, played a vital role in securing over 200 acres of land on which the Texas Medical Center now stands. The 48 students of the entering class of 1972 saw the groundbreaking for Phase II construction in October of 1972. This project included the construction of the half of the medical school that was adjacent to the newly-built Jones Pavillion. Phase III, the completion of the medical school main building and the continued renovation of Hermann Hospital, began in 1975. Hermann Hospital from new med ii 3 st school site. THIN} a GUL ALLA iis Si ee un a

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We as students at such a dynamic institution should expect and anticipate further growth and expansion. As our reputation as an outstanding medical school with un- matched facilities and affiliations continues to spread, we must continue to represent our institution in an excellent fashion in both the academic and in the private sectors. Few institutions can boast of the rapid growth and pro- gress that we can, and few have as bright a future. Texas » Medical a No?3 rac . Center — qusde Fr Weagics! vic Topping-out ceremony, June 2, 1976. This Texas Live Oak was hoisted atop the highest point of the newly completed structure. Ac- cording to ancient Scandinavian custom, this act will keep those evil spirits at bay that would normally haunt such a tall structure. The aftermath of The Flood.