St. Louis People
365
First lung cancer operation;
a myth of Dogtown's name
(Eighth in a series)
The doctor who performed the nation's first lung cancer operation
in St. Louis died in March, 1957. There's also a 1904 myth
about naming of the "Dogtown" section of St. Louis.
And, three St. Louis women were arrested in 1905 for wearing
trousers.
These are some of the historical trivia items included in
St. Louis author Joe Sonderman's book, "St. Louis People 365."
(Sonderman has given permission to Young Saint Louis.com
to quote selected items from his book. If you'd like a copy
of the book, check local book stores or go to www.booksonstlouis.com.)
Here are 10 of the 124 items in the March chapter:
March 1, 1781: Nathan Boone was born, the son of Daniel
Boone. With his brother, Morgan, Nathan operated a salt-making
operation in present-day Howard County. He laid out a road
from St. Charles to the site. The Boone's Lick Road was the
link to the Sante Fe and Oregon Trails and later became the
basis for U.S. Highway 40 and today's I-70. Boone was also
a well-known Indian fighter and helped make St. Charles the
state capitol.
March 4, 1849: Missouri Senator David Rice Atchison
was president for a day. The traditional inaugural date of
March 4th fell on a Sunday. President Polk's term expired
on March 3rd. The vice-president resigned two days earlier,
and Zachary Taylor would be inaugurated the next day. The
president Pro Tem of the Senate, Atchison technically was
in charge for 24 hours.
March 4, 1957: Dr. Evarts Graham died. At Barnes Hospital
in 1933, he performed the very first lung cancer surgery.
He removed a lung from a Pittsburgh gynecologist who would
outlive Graham by six years. With his student, Ernest Wynder,
Graham would prove the link between tobacco and lung cancer.
Ironically, Graham died of lung cancer.
March 9, 1905: Three St. Louis women were under arrest
for wearing trousers. They were accused of "expressing their
contempt for conventional wisdom by appearing in the streets
in habiliments which law and custom allow only for the stronger
sex."
March 12, 1958: The Budweiser's team of Pat Patterson,
Ray Bluth, Don Carter, Tom Hennesy and Dick Weber rolled the
greatest series in bowling history. On lanes seven and eight
at Florissant Lanes, they finished with a three-game total
of 3,858 pins (an average of 257.2 of possible 300). The record
stood for nearly 36 years. All of the team members are in
the Bowling Hall of Fame.
March 14, 1859: The Missouri State Legislature approved
the establishment of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Henry
Shaw established the garden at his country estate, Tower Grove.
He enlisted the help of leading botanists, including Doctor
George Engelmann of St. Louis. The garden quickly became one
of the top cultural attractions in St. Louis. Shaw also donated
276 acres around the garden for Tower Grove Park.
March 22, 1928: Ed MacCauley was born in St. Louis.
He acquired the nickname "Easy" while helping lead the Billikens
to the 1948 NIT championship. In the NBA, he played for the
St. Louis Bombers, the Boston Celtics and the St. Louis Hawks.
The seven-time All Star was elected to the Basketball Hall
of Fame in 1960. He went on to become a sportscaster for KTVI.
March 24, 1911: Mathew Robison, president of the Cardinals,
died suddenly. He left the club to Mrs. Hathaway Britton.
"Lady Bee" became the first female owner in the major leagues.
Interested in women's rights, she took a very active role
in running the club and attended league meetings. That didn't
go over well with the rest of the owners. She sold the team
to Branch Rickey in 1917.
March 30, 1904: The Commissary Department at the 1904
world's fair asked the city pound to provide a number of dogs
each day to the Igorote Village at the fair. The natives considered
dog meat a great delicacy. Legend says this is how the "Dogtown"
neighborhood got its name. That's a myth. Irish laborers gave
the area its name in the 1860's because there were so many
dogs there.
March 31, 1945: "The Glass Menagerie," by Tennessee
Williams, opened on Broadway. Set in a St. Louis tenement
in the 1930s, the story contains many autobiographical elements
from William's youth here. Just as in the play, his father
worked for a shoe company and his frail sister retreated into
tending her collection of glass animal figures. "Menagerie"
won the New York Drama Critic's Circle award and established
Williams as a major playwright.
