Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Live Oak Friends Meeting on Community Health
Date(s)
- 1992 (Creation)
Extent
0.0625 cubic feet (1 folder)
Name of creator
Administrative history
Live Oak Friends Meeting was founded in 1954 and met in congregants’ homes and in several temporary locations before settling in first to an adapted house on Alexander Street. In 2000 they moved into a building on W. 26th Street in the Heights, designed for them, that includes an installation by light artist James Turrell.
Jan and Marjorie De Hartog were longtime residents of Houston and members of Live Oak Friends Meeting, and personal friends of the donors. The original video was recorded by Warren, Ph.D., and Marsha Holleman, M.D., also members of Live Oak and faculty at Baylor College of Medicine.
Jefferson Davis Hospital opened originally in 1924; a second building was constructed in 1939 (razed 1999). By the 1950s, disputes between the city and county over who was responsible for its costs had left it underfunded, understaffed, and plagued by appalling conditions. The De Hartogs’ expose The Hospital prompted the formation of the Harris County Hospital District (Harris Health), the reform of public hospital conditions in Houston, and the development of Ben Taub Hospital in 1963.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
Collection contains a digital copy of a 1992 video recording of author/activist Jan de Hartog (1914 April 22 – 2002 September 22) speaking about the Jefferson Davis Hospital scandal of the 1960’s. De Hartog was a longtime resident of Houston and member of Live Oak Friends Meeting, and personal friend of the donors. The original video was recorded by Warren, Ph.D., and Marsha Holleman, M.D., also members of Live Oak and faculty at Baylor College of Medicine.
Subjects: Live Oak Friends Meeting, community health, Jefferson Davis Hospital, oral history, Healthcare for the Homeless.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Unrestricted. Open for research.
Physical access
Materials are in good condition.
Technical access
Computer required for viewing.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright restrictions may apply.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
None.
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Donated by Bette and Christopher Drexler, parents of archives assistant Alethea Drexler and members of Live Oak Friends Meeting.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Accruals are not expected for this collection.
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Jan de Hartog’s professional papers are housed at the University of Houston M.D. Anderson Library Special Collections, ID 1967-002. (https://findingaids.lib.uh.edu/repositories/2/resources/124). According to the finding aid, "'The Hospital' sub-series contains notes, outlines, drafts, and galley proofs of the work. Additional documents relating to the response to 'The Hospital' and to Jan and Marjorie de Hartog's work at Jefferson Davis Hospital is included in 'The Hospital' Materials series."
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
- Citation: Live Oak Friends Meeting on Community Health; MS 193; John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center, Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library. Please cite the box and folder numbers where appropriate.
Alternative identifier(s)
TARO
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Baylor College of Medicine (Subject)
- Live Oak Friends Meeting (Subject)
- Harris County Hospital District (Subject)
- De Hartog, Jan (Subject)