Class of: 1977, 1981

Melody T. McCloud

Melody T. McCloud (CAS’77, MED’81) of Roswell, Ga., submitted Rebecca Lee Crumpler (MED 1864), the first Black woman to graduate from a US medical school, to be featured in the New York Times “Overlooked Obituary” series. She was eventually contacted by series writer Cindy Shmerler, who wrote about Rebecca. Melody, an obstetrician-gynecologist, has been working to raise awareness of Rebecca’s accomplishments by successfully urging Virginia Governor Ralph Northam in 2019 to declare March 30 “Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler Day,” advocating for the construction of a monument to her in Richmond, Va., and curating an exhibition about her career at BU’s School of Medicine.

From the Spring-Summer 2022 issue.