Fern Jackson, Etna Ross, Estella Taylor, and Wenefrett Watson

00:02 My name is Edna Laura Ross and I am 74 years old. Today's date is March 2nd, 2013, and I'm in the Arlington Medical Group office.

00:19 And my husband William Alexander Jackson Ross senior MD

00:28 Well, I was his wife.

00:32 My name is Fern Scott Jackson. I'm 65 years old today's date is March 2nd. 2013. I'm at Arlington Medical Group Incorporated. I am the spouse of James Edwin Jackson MD one of the partners.

00:53 My name is Winifred P Watson. My age is 91 years old I have today's date is March the

01:05 2nd and the location is at Arlington Medical Center my relationship to a partner was a wife of James a Watson senior.

01:20 My name is Estella Taylor. I'm 89 years old. Today is March 2nd. 1913. The location is the Earlington Medical Center in Oakland, California my relationship to partner. I'm the wife of Robert Taylor MD.

01:47 My husband loved Arlington. He thought he had died and gone to heaven because we're like that the young people in this group. We came at a time when everything was wonderful for us and we could have a good time here at Arlington. He like the fact that he served the community. His family was always been a family who worked in the community that his father was known as the race man in the neighborhood back when we were Negroes.

02:16 And then we became black then we became African-Americans. And so we love Darlington because it serve the community.

02:28 I came to Oakland in 1978. I lived in San Jose prior to that and then Walnut Creek when I came to Arlington Medical Group. I was just impressed by the building itself. And once I met the partners, I knew that that was the place for me. I had always worked in public health medicine right out of college in Denver, Colorado and worked in a neighborhood health program. Arlington was very close to a neighborhood Clinic. It had a multidisciplinary approach that really was outstanding and Doctor Taylor was a true Visionary because it was his idea to start the practice.

03:22 The year that we arrived at Arlington medical was an eventful one because Jeffrey Watson was born that year. We arrived in Oakland, California in May and he was born in August but to tell when I met dr. Taylor it was at Edwards Air Force Base and his wife and he and his wife preceded us at that location and they were a color so we became friendly it was a wonderful opportunity to meet him because he was a great bridge addict and you like to talk about bridge, but he eventually found out that my husband wasn't interested in Bridge. So he turned the discussion to a group practice idea that he had with one of them Partners, dr. Venture.

04:20 One major we arrived here already and enamored with Bob's idea doctor Taylor's idea. And we stopped at Doctor Taylor's home for a weekend and until my husband. Dr. Watson could find a place the house is large. But anyway after that occurrence, we became a part of the organization and it was a wonderful experience. The city of Oakland man was a republican City and it but it was thriving and there were many jobs and many opportunities for flocked here and they were anxious to integrate everybody at least on one seed on every board just one sleep. And of course that opportunity came and we had to turn down a lot of them because we have come out of, Richland, Washington.

05:20 And it was doing the administration of the president at that time had just come out of the war zone and he was building highways and integrating all of the agencies of the government. It would never done it and been a Democrat today.

05:40 So I that's all I can think of at the moment. I'll add some more after the others Free Will wife of Robert Taylor.

05:54 We came to California in 1950 from St. Louis, Missouri where my husband had done his internship and residency because his sister and her husband Joe Louis were already practicing here, and we wanted to join them.

06:17 Oakland at the time

06:20 What's the city that was just beginning to realize its potential the war was on and industry was busy.

06:30 After 3 years in Oakland the army.

06:36 Requested that Bob returns

06:40 This was because he went to Meharry under the astep program which Wilson accelerated medical program for doctors. And in return he had to pay them two years of its of his experiences. So we went to Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. And there we met dr. Watson and Weatherford and their children. It was a nice relationship. Dr. Watson agreed to return to Oakland and practice and he and Bob were to establish a partnership Bob it always wanted to have an office that fulfilled everybody's needs Under One Roof. This was a driving need of his

07:28 Dr. Watson returned to 1 year before we did before we got out of practice and started in a relationship with dr. Benjamin major who Bob had left behind to keep the office open while he was in service.

07:47 When we return to Oakland in 1957, we left in 55 and returned in 57 the doctors.

07:57 Oh formed a partnership and as a result the enlarged and office and begin a multi. What would you call it? Special specialty partnership. Everything was Under One Roof all the Specialties physical therapy.

08:22 Everything and this was quite nice as far as the patients were concerned.

08:28 Where do I go from here?

08:31 Our relationship with the wild things and Doctor Jackson and Fern and Ralston Edna with wonderful. We had so many good experiences and so much fun. We had parties and Christmas parties where we all got together. It was really truly a wonderful relationship.

08:55 I might has been a William Ross was really referred to as Jackson. And when Jackson came Arlington didn't have an orthopedic surgeon at the time, so everything is sort of played right into our I'd like it was just a good place to be in n75. We came a lot of long few years after 53 and 4 by 75 when we came we came because Oakland reminded us of home home doesn't look so good now Detroit Michigan to middle-class African American families the commitment to the community and those who weren't as fortunate as we were with your something that just meet us and through the Aztec about being here. I know my husband. I renew my husband since I was nine years old. So when we got here the funny thing that Wendy Watson had to say to me is that you better watch out cuz I only have four kids

09:55 She was on her 5th just a cut, but when she came here, so I was very careful to keep mine at 4.

10:05 We all had large families at that time, but we were very that was all we could do because they was so busy building that practice and the interesting thing about Arlington was a it was a diverse community and we had a diverse group of doctors. My husband was a internist who developed a large clientele that bed the different Specialties and by involving himself and the church by the side of the road. He met Bear by quite a number of very interesting people who had come from all over the United States to live in Oakland with the same purpose that we had in mind.

10:50 Upon some of the activities they kept asking him to be on this board and on that board and the other board but the remarkable thing about that type of participation it allow you to develop a large practice and people trusted him and liked him and he was able to bring quite a flow of people into the building to be serviced by the Specialties and it was a great Advantage from me because dr. Ross was my orthopedist and I just wore him out and I still he loved it and loved every bit of it and I would go and said that the Dutch from agent delivered my baby and you stand out in the hall at the hospital and talked about all the football games and I would have to say that the major please come in and deliver this, baby.

11:49 But it wasn't it. We had a wonderful time. We had a familiarity with him and everybody was so good at that time. They worked very hard.

12:02 But it's so anyway, this was a wonderful time if I think of something else I'll interject it a speaking of family. We all have large families.

12:16 I had four when he had five and in the head 444. Yes, funny things happened when he and I had lots of experiences in the desert in the Southern California. And one of the things that I remember that was so funny. I we took a train from Baker snow from Edwards to Oakland. Both of us were pregnant when a with Jeffrey and I think I was pregnant with r on when the conductor came through we had rearrange the chairs so that we were facing each other and to put our feet out on the anyhow, he wanted us to turn the the chairs around the way they were originally when he walked up to it with her stomach and said,

13:09 I have to be comfortable I'm pregnant and of course this didn't satisfy him. He insisted that we turn the chairs around which we didn't finally he left us alone, but we laughed about that experience. We had so many more to but it was this familiarity with each other that made our relationship. So wonderful in the office. We have all of these Life Experiences.

13:37 I think one of the other things that was remarkable about the office is that it also served as a training ground for both our children as well as other children in the community. My husband passed away New Year's Eve and his memorial service was one month ago. And I was totally struck by the number of past employees who were at that service many of them started when they were in high school and we're trained and has gone on to become Professionals in our community and they expressed her gratitude to Arlington for giving them their start in addition to the neighborhood children. As I said, all of our children also were required in a way to work at Arlington and they learned valuable skills at the office and I think they all appreciated that

14:37 One other thing I'd like to mention that hasn't been this far. We did talk about the multidisciplinary approach, but they were also Pioneers they had computers when very few offices white or black had them. They offered matching funds for employees to get dental and other Medical Treatments that were not covered by private insurance. They paid for training and educational opportunities for their employees. And I mentioned that they talked that they did train their own children as well as children in the community. We also had some of the most well-known and respected individuals in Oakland and the surrounding communities and our office and

15:24 A lot of times patients who were waiting with stop them and talk to them the mayor of Oakland at the time of the mayor of Berkeley at the time. It wasn't unusual to see people and the Arlington that were well known within their communities.

15:46 Arlington was filled with a lot of hardworking doctors are husbands or fathers who work very hard at at at Arlington for the community and our role pretty much homeless to make it possible for them to do that. And that's exactly what we did. We raise these enormous family and we took care of things at home so that they didn't have to do anything but serve the community and work in their capacity and I think that was a good thing to make Alton work. So well the diversity the camaraderie the cooperation that we had among the wise. I mean, there's a group of ladies who never spoke of hard words to each other who worked silently behind their husbands, but also work together in the various organizations in the community. So I wanted was well-known and well-respected.

16:37 One of the other things that says it might be interesting to observe is at the Arlington group got together and bought our house up at Squaw Valley so that their friends and relatives and all the people in the office had utilization of it. They sexualized it by weeks of the month and it gave the children an opportunity to take their friends up there also, and we kept that until all the kids graduated from college and then we sold it that was a remarkable effort on the part of the office to take over that type of responsibility. But that was just how far ahead of the social needs of our community that we Spar saw and we could only do it because we were group

17:32 It's very difficult now to simulate that type of effort the other thing that the office did I remember the picnics. We were famous for picnics every year there would be the picnic. We look forward to it all of the office employees everybody associated with the office and their friends will attend the picnic one year there were even t-shirts inscribed with Arlington Medical Group the picnic. We usually at one of the parks in the area and a good time was had by all

18:21 Several of the employees who started their early Beginnings in the field of medicine are now in very illustrious positions in the community and one that I can think of particular was my husband's nurse who was Paul cuffe sister and Glory Cobb and Glory was devoted to the office of

18:56 The medical practice but she didn't have a degree and therefore it was difficult for her to step up. So I tried to find out in the area who had scholarship and I found out that the American Cancer Society gave money to the

19:17 White Organization for scholarships and they were particularly anxious and recruiting men to work on the hospital and I join just for that purpose and I asked what about blacks? And so they said that while we've never had anyone apply. So I said, well I have some friends that are not friends but potentials that would like to fly and Glory applied and got a four-year scholarship for nursing at Kaiser at the training center. And now she's head of a department at Kaiser. I forgot and when she came to all of the outstanding Affairs that we had then but that was a type of thing that was done. By the way. We did all kind of things to help the community and that was a beginning.

20:17 Have an extension of our services to the community.

20:25 Raider game called that's right. The football games so much fun as we came and in the 70s when everybody was winning everything and the Raiders, especially where a big big tree and I know you guys went out to Raiders meeting. We had a bus go about the business major had a bus and we had what you might call us back back back to eating in a party and bad was so much. I think he would also help for anything. He's home for the Raiders. Yeah, he had partners that as hell but the interesting thing I remember on that bus that were many doctors who are not members of Arlington medical so I don't bother

21:25 Medical was not in any way restrictive and the community we didn't worry about what another doctor was doing or whether he was qualified or anything in terms of monetary and we would invite our friends and if you wanted to sit on that bus you sat there and went with us to the game and it was so much fun. And I think that helped develop a respect and a lightness for the community cuz we got along well.

21:58 Little early early. We don't know about that. I can probably take a little bit on that.

22:19 I don't want any evidence against us. We do not really a positive broke in the beginning when you talked about in the beginning because they brought the community or understanding that everybody matters. Everybody's an important and we can govern ourselves and we can participate and we can control the community by coming together and United force and being responsible and I was just enthralled by the fact that the band plant back. The Black Panthers were here in Oakland. We came here from San Diego and I had a free Angela Davis sticker on my car. They got torn off and turn it a little bit send a new song on my door. So it was really great to know that I was coming in Northern California to Oakland with a black panthers were there during all their Outreach for families and Community where people like Arlington people coming from all areas.

23:19 Could you come I really was born in Mississippi contrary to popular belief. I was born in Mississippi and it was just a Emeka of things happening in the Black Panthers to me personified that whole concept I think so. My husband was very proud that he served as a physician to the Black Panthers as a matter of fact, he spoke of it often and he did do a storycorps and he did speak of it in that storycorps peace. He took care of the wives his mother worked at the breakfast program that they had before school and he continue to take care of the Black Panthers themselves until they began to have gunshot wounds and began to have run-ins with the police and he couldn't risk losing his license because he had to report gunshot.

24:19 By law, so he stopped doing home visits after that time and that basically ended Arlington's connection with the Black Panthers, but they were very active in the community and they did a lot of good in Oakland and we don't like to not speak of that history because it is very important and it's part of Oakland history as well as Arlington.

24:47 I'm a whip of the understanding. That was a very wealthy woman who financed some of the activities of the Black Panther.

24:57 Do I have a couple of things? I think we're getting short on time. I wanted to ask each of the wise how you met your husband and we spoke a little bit about how you came to Arlington, but how you met your husband and when that happened I met my husband when I was 9 years old in church, and I really couldn't stand him cuz he's very square and I was very Progressive and so I didn't pay attention to him. And so we really want to round in circles with each other until we really got back and forth and all the groups together and all the choirs together at that Jackson was in the hell. You said that in the Ford and I am not sure what he said until we got to college and then and there I was and the rest is his here yet.

25:51 Winnie who I met Jimmy Watson in Washington DC where he was at in medical school at Howard University and he saw me at a party one night. And there you are. There was a little difficult because there was several girls, but I decided I like them well enough to fight for him. So I reached out and grabbed him by the neck home with me.

26:23 Well, let's see now. I was in grade school and he was in college. He was a chemistry major Lincoln University in Jefferson City. And of course, I mean, you know, he was just there later when I was in high school.

26:53 Oh, he was a chaperone.

26:59 On some of our trips and I got to know him a little better and then one summer he taught summer school and nobody else was around so we became better acquainted.

27:12 There was a big difference in age. But anyhow thing for Crest from there.

27:23 I met James Jackson. I was working at Highland Hospital in the OB-GYN clinic and he came over and I heard him ask where is sperm Scott and initially I thought maybe he was a bill collector. So I tried to hide but I was sitting in the Hall and couldn't know he came over and just introduced himself and said that he wanted to meet the person who was doing physical exams on patients that he was to see later and said that he admired my work and that I did very thorough exams. I had had many compliments from Physicians before but I've never had someone take me out to give me a compliment. This was very significant and

28:18 I just felt that he was such a warm person that I was just astonished at the time later. He came back.

28:29 Actually a couple of years later and asked if I would be interested in working at Arlington. I was working two jobs at the time because I was divorced and had to support two children on my own and he asked if I would come for an interview which I did and I then started working here in 1980. I worked I think the most significant thing to me is I really enjoyed my job. I worked here for over 10 years and I never took a sick day and I if I took vacation I didn't over a weekend so that I didn't have to miss work. I just felt like this was home to me and my children enjoy Arlington as well.

29:23 I would like to ask two more questions. When what are the most important lessons you've learned in life?

29:32 Etna

29:35 I've learned that it's not so important that you have problems and that you get

29:42 I'm down sometimes and that your life doesn't go as you expected it to and it's not so much that you get knocked down as the most important thing is how you get up and the fact that you do keep going. Love isn't very important part in our lives. And with love we can do almost anything in any relationship. So even though you're down you can always get up no matter what keep going.

30:10 I'll go next. I think I've learned never to give up and sometimes that one has to do things that are unpleasant or not. What you wanted to do initially to achieve a goal. For example, I wanted to become a nurse and when hospital nursing wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I decided to work in public health later. I became a nurse practitioner before there was a name for us. I was initially called and expanded role nurse. I was not certified in California when I moved here from Colorado. So I worked in several Hospital settings until I applied for an opening at UC San Francisco Medical Center as head nurse of the outpatient OB-GYN clinic. I convinced the attending physicians to let me see their patients and once they had confidence in my ability. I met with the director of the nurse practitioner program at UCF School of Nursing.

31:11 And I asked if I could test out of the program she agreed and after speaking to the head of the OBG Department OB-GYN department at UCSF. I became certified through UCF School of Nursing. That is something that I'm very proud of and I think that perseverance always pays off winning.

31:36 I think the most difficult role I had in life was raising a family of three boys and two girls.

31:44 I don't know yet whether I succeeded, but I'm praying that I have.

31:52 At this point in my life. I'm satisfied that if I have fails I tried and that's the end of me.

32:05 I believe in persistence. I think that if there's something that you really want to do or you really think it's for you you should persist there times when you might want to give up but it's best to stay, Stay your course.