"First" is a word often spoken in close proximity to Thomas Nathaniel Burbridge's name. He was the first African American to graduate from the UC medical school in San Francisco. He was the first black intern at County Hospital, now San Francisco General. As an undergraduate, he finished first in his class in chemistry.

The UCSF Black Caucus commemorated this pioneering man, who was both a graduate of and faculty member at UCSF, on Wednesday as part of Black Heritage Month. Two of Burbridge's children attended the celebration: Leigh, who works in Millberry programs and services, and Nancy Burbridge Meeks. Nancy gave an overview of her father's life and UCSF retiree and Black Caucus co-founder Freeman Bradley talked about his friend and colleague.

The Burbridge family comes from a tradition of firsts. Dr. Burbridge's father was one of the first black physicians in Louisiana and was subsequently thrown out of his small town for saving the life of a white woman, Nancy said. She recalled her own father's accomplishments and his unwavering belief in discipline and hard work, which he handed down to his children, making them study when other kids were out playing and pushing them to be better than the rest.

Nancy recalled her father's repeated experiences with racism, which was often directed at him with violence. "We received nooses in the mail and, when I was seven, I remember answering the phone and someone saying that my father would die," she said. "He was shot at for giving a white woman CPR at the scene of a car accident."

Despite this adversity, Burbridge obtained not only a medical degree but also a PhD in pharmacology. He went on to become a professor and researcher at UCSF. He was an active community member, taking part in civil rights struggles. He was sentenced to nine months in jail for his participation in the Auto Row sit-ins in San Francisco, serving 30 days before being pardoned by Governor Pat Brown. "When Nat served 30 days in jail he used the vacation time he had accrued from UCSF," Bradley said with a laugh.

Burbridge was assigned to UCSF in the 1940s by the Navy. He remained here after his discharge, earned a medical degree in 1948, and later became a graduate student and fellow in the department of pharmacology.

He interrupted his graduate work, however, to spend three years at the University of Indonesia, Djakarta, after revolution in that country, and played a key role in establishing a medical school there. He later returned to UCSF and completed his PhD. Burbridge joined the faculty in 1956 and conducted research on the pharmacology of alcohol. He also studied the medical use of marijuana for the terminally ill.

But the constant fight against racism and injustice took its toll on Burbridge physically, daughter Nancy said. He died of cancer in 1972 at the age of 51. "He paid his dues to get where he had to and his dues were especially high," Bradley said.

One of Burbridge's initiatives that stands the test of time is his community outreach efforts. He would travel at his own expense to recruit minority students from the South, Bradley explained, making it his personal mission to get more black students admitted to UCSF. "Minority graduates of this campus really have Dr. Burbridge to thank," Bradley said.

This "man for all seasons," as Bradley described him, was, among other things, a physician, researcher, father, husband, activist and, for a while, president of the NAACP. He was credited for prompting important civil rights changes in the areas of public housing, employment and education. UCSF has honored Burbridge's memory by naming after him one of the annual UCSF Chancellor's awards for public service.

by Paula Murphy

1st appeared 2/06/98

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