Syracuse, NY — Upstate Medical University revealed 6-foot-2-inch statues Thursday to honor two pioneering female doctors: Sarah Loguen Fraser and Elizabeth Blackwell.
The bronze life-sized sculptures surround the entrance to Upstate’s main academic building, Weiskotten Hall. They’re meant to serve as a reminder that Upstate is the first co-ed medical school in the country, President Mantosh Dewan said.
Blackwell became the first female to earn a medical degree in America when she graduated first in her class from Geneva Medical College in 1849. That school would later become SUNY Upstate.
Loguen Fraser was the fourth Black woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. That was in 1876.
“Every day, these two women will loudly declare that we have welcomed all deserving people for 150 years and commit — in bronze — to welcoming all people for another 150 years,” Dewan said.
Donors to The Upstate Foundation and The Upstate Medical Alumni Foundation helped pay for the statues. Internationally recognized sculptor, Carolyn Palmer, received $375,000 for her work.
She’s known for bronze sculptures of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt at the front of the FDR library, and the marble busts of four popes at a cathedral in Manhattan.
Palmer said she wanted each of the statues at Upstate to represent the doctors’ personal accomplishments. Both statues are taller than the women’s actual heights to show their larger-than-life spirits, Palmer said.
Blackwell’s head faces the university to show a visionary stance. Her hand presents the university.
Blackwell faced discrimination in school but later opened a clinic to treat poor women in New York City, according to the National Women’s History Museum.
Loguen Fraser’s statue demonstrates her compassion, Palmer said. The pediatrician’s head is tilted, and her right arm welcomes people as they walk through the courtyard.
Schyler Turner, a third-year medical student at Upstate, unveiled Loguen Fraser’s statue in the courtyard on Thursday. She received a $10,350 scholarship in honor of Loguen Fraser to help her reach her goal of becoming a pediatric surgeon.
“Just to see her every day and to be able to walk past greatness is truly inspiring,” Turner said.