Construction for a hospital for veterans began in October 1949 at the University of Alabama’s new medical center in Birmingham.  Roy R. Kracke, MD, dean of the medical school, was a member of President Truman’s Special Medical Advisory Group on Veterans Affairs and was chiefly responsible for the location of the facility in Birmingham.  The hospital was completed in January 1953 and was formally dedicated on March 22, 1953.  The hospital contained 400 beds for veterans, but it also provided much-needed laboratory, research, and clinical space for medical and dental school faculty, many of whom had joint appointments with their school and with the VA.  Students were also able to receive clinical training in the new hospital.

ID: MC51 #152a