User:Cjr100B/John Wesley Parker

John Wesley Parker was a medical doctor that practiced in Seaboard, North Carolina during the Great Depression. He was the subject of Bernice K. Harris’s interview as part of the Federal Writers' Project housed in the University of North Carolina Southern History Collection.

Biography
John Wesley Parker was a medical doctor that opened his first private practice in Seaboard, North Carolina. His introduction to medicine came through his childhood friend, Dr. Davis of Emporia, Virginia who passed down his medical equipment to Parker after his death. Parker graduated from the Medical College of Virginia. After graduating, he interned a year at Grace Hospital in Richmond, Virginia and ten months at the Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 1928, he moved to Seaboard and opened his practice. He was also married in 1928 and had no children during the course of his life.

In addition to being the doctor of Seaboard, he also served various other roles in the community, such as pallbearer and business advisor. He held various titles and parts in organizations including Southern Medical Associations, the Lions Club, Sigma Nu, and Phi Rho Sigma. In addition, he was a member of the county board of education, county board of health, a steward in the local church, a surgeon for the Seaboard Railway, and a trustee of the rehabilitation fund for farmers. Also, he was made a justice of the peace.

Parker often paid for his patients’ bills when they could not afford it. He also bought food for poor patients and paid for their burial costs if necessary. He described this practice as “the natural thing to do.” Parker paid for many community children to go to school and college. Throughout his medical career, Parker kept a journal with every birth and death he had witnessed. He also sharecropped with many underprivileged African Americans.

Poverty
Parker was commonly treating poor patients who could not afford his service. The Great Depression had affected Seaboard, North Carolina by increasing the poverty levels of the town. As Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal policies helped the middle and upper classes, they did little to improve the situation for the poor. Therefore, Parker helped where he could. Parker did not experience poverty himself, but he was indirectly connected to the issue by numerous of his patients. He often paid for his patients to get their medications and seek better lives.

Racial discrimination
Racial inequality played a part in the life of Parker. He treated many African Americans, although it was not a commonly accepted practice during the time. Parker had a business-like relationship with his colored patients. In addition, he sharecropped with many African Americans that he treated. Sharecropping and farming were common occupations for African Americans during the early 1900s. Although, the language he uses in the Federal Writers Project interview confers negativity towards African Americans, Parker left his personal feelings out of the situation and treated them properly.

Rural medicine
During the Great Depression, many families in the rural town of Seaboard, North Carolina faced severe debt. Their lack of money handicapped their ability to pay for proper medical care. Parker went beyond his title and often provided free treatment for his poor patients. As Michael Grey states, “Some physicians belonged to the ‘old school of Country Doctor’ and continued to accept payment in kind or provided free care, but the number who could or would continue to do so was declining.” As one of the remaining old school physicians, Parker provided free treatments and many more services for his patients, including scholarships and financial advice.

Historical production
John Parker was interviewed as part of the Federal Writers’ Project. The Federal Writers’ Project was a program created by President Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression that aimed to provide jobs for unemployed professionals. As part of the Works Progress Administration, the Federal Writers’ Project’s goal was to document American culture and social life. Also as part of the New Deal, the Federal Writers’ Project tried to strengthen the nation’s economy by creating jobs.

Issues of voice
Jerrold Hirsch describes Federal Writers’ Project interviewers by stating, “nearly all writers on the project viewed their research assignments as mundane work, far removed from their creative concerns.“ The Federal Writers Project was not a creative opportunity for all the authors involved; for most, it was simply a way to earn wages. Parker’s interviewer, Bernice K. Harris, had very little interest on the direction of the interview. Parker chose the topics with little interference from Harris. It is also important to consider that this freedom for Parker to choose the topics allowed him to possibly alter some of his history.

Another issue is that Parker was the only person interviewed, so nobody else could confirm his story or importance in the community. In addition, the Federal Writers Project was not composed of experienced impartial authors. Many of the interviewers were normal people looking for jobs; therefore, many of them lacked proper training and impartiality to conduct an unbiased accurate interview.

The Federal Writers Project allowed individual states to show their value to the country and to demonstrate that they “were integral parts of the national union.” As in this case, the interview only highlighted the importance of Parker in his community and the generosity he displayed, showcasing the beauty of North Carolina.