Dallas County Medical Society Alliance Foundation
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On May 4, 1917, a group of 17 doctors’ wives met to discuss a proposal by Mrs. John O. McReynolds to form a woman’s auxiliary to the Dallas County Medical Society – the first group of its kind in the country. With the nation’s entry into WWI and increasing needs of the Red cross, Mrs. McReynolds saw that there were many opportunities for year-round volunteering including promoting better hygiene, nutrition and home safety. Their work inspired the formation of auxiliaries in McLennan and Bexar counties that same year. The three counties met on May 15, 1918, to form an auxiliary to the Texas Medical Association, with Mrs. Edward H. Cary of Dallas serving as the first president. When the American Medical Association met on May 24, 1922, Dr. Edward H. Cary proposed a resolution to form the woman’s auxiliary to the AMA, which was approved. Mrs. McReynolds was elected President of the national auxiliary in 1927. The Dallas County Auxiliary focused on children and improvements to medical facilities in the area. A cottage was built at Savage Lake and donated to the Salvation Army for housing underprivileged children during the summer. Throughout the fifties, the auxiliary’s efforts went to community health and education. In 1954, in response to the nursing shortage, the Edith Cavell Nursing Scholarship Fund was established. In 1973, the national organization revised its bylaws to allow the membership of male spouses. In November 1974, the family of Rena Munger and George N. Aldredge finalized the donation of Aldredge House, built in 1917, to the auxiliary. In 2003, the local organization’s name was changed to the Dallas County Medical Society Alliance Foundation.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1917, seventeen doctors' wives met in Dallas to form what is described as the nation's first auxiliary to a county medical society, channeling wartime and civic energy into public health work. The group promoted hygiene, nutrition, and safety, inspired sister organizations across Texas, and grew into a national movement within the American Medical Association. Over the decades it funded nursing scholarships, children's welfare, and medical facilities, and acquired the historic Aldredge House as its home.
Why it matters
The organization shows how women turned volunteer networks into lasting public-health institutions, a pioneering model of women's civic leadership in early twentieth-century medicine.
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Related people
- · Mrs. John O. McReynolds
- · Mrs. Edward H. Cary
Themes & tags
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