Dr Foster Research Paper

Important Information
In Los Angeles during the summer of 1955, Doctor Foster had enough patients to secure admitting privileges at a hospital; however, it was not near Cedars Sinai or UCLA Medical Center. The hospital was near his office and was called Metropolitan Hospital (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 309). The majority of the patients were of color, but the hospital doctors were white, with the very few exceptions, Doctor Foster was one of them (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 309).
Doctor Foster dreaded Mondays, because the white doctors would boast about their time in Las Vegas and at the casinos. Doctor Foster had a desire to go to Vegas. “He was born for Vegas” (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 309) and had the monetary means to go, but could not because Las Vegas

was still segregated. As a result, Doctor Foster tried to avoid the doctors and escape from engaging in the conversation. Finally, he spoke up so they would not talk about the subject anymore with him. Doctor Foster told them, “You know colored people can’t go to the hotels there or the casinos. It’s a thorn in my side, so don’t ask me about that” (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 310).
As time went on, Doctor Foster started to hear rumors about blacks protesting about the segregation in Las Vegas and how the city might open up (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 310). Doctor Foster spoke with his friends, Doctor Beale and Doctor Jackson, about the rumors. They advise him to get in contact with Jimmy Gay. He is a man who can get people of color into mainline hotels (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 311). Doctor Foster takes their advice and he gathers a party of thirteen. They were going to Vegas for the weekend and they were supposed to stay at the Riviera Hotel.
When Doctor Foster and his party arrive at the hotel, he ran into another couple they had met one the train.

After speaking with the wife who told him to go to the front desk, “Robert understood instantly” (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 312). He had a horrible feeling, it was Phoenix all over again. Robert went up to the desk, like he had done in Phoenix, only this time he was slightly more assured based on his previous experiences and that he was now a Californian (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 312). The front desk told him that he could not find the reservation and made no suggestions or attempt for accommodations (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 313). Doctor Foster immediately called Jimmy, who told them instead to go to the Sands Hotel. When they arrived at the Sands Hotel, Robert was told that were not enough rooms for the party. Instead the Sands Hotel made arrangements for them at the Flamingo Capri.
Jimmy Gay and his wife, took Robert and his party from night club to night club that Jimmy knew would accept them. Robert remembered the one night where he wore a “black mohair suit [that] he ordered specifically for the occasion from the tailor who dressed Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra “(Wilkerson, 2010, p. 314). The humiliation from the doctors and the Riviera faded away. “He was finally in the world he belonged in” (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 314). Doctor Foster for once could not wait for Monday to

come.
The second section takes place in Los Angeles during the late 1950s.

At this point, Doctor Foster was making a name for himself. Those back in Monroe started to notice and started to show up (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 327). One instance was when Jimmy Marshall’s mother came as a patient. She was not used to him being a doctor nor calling him Robert (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 327). During her first appointment she stated “How dare you tell me to take my clothes off!” (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 327). His reputation did not only extend to those back in Monroe, but with other doctors and charge nurses as a result he got admitting privileges to several hospitals (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 328). Patients would flock to Doctor Foster and would wait to be seen by him. Doctor Foster was also a compassionate and dedicated doctor with remarkable bedside manner. Doctor Foster was given the name “The Jitterbug Doctor” (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 329). One of his patients was Della Bea. She was pleased with her treatment and wanted to bring her husband. Her husband was Ray Charles (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 330).
Doctor Foster wanted to buy a home for Alice and the girls. He found a home on an exclusive block. The two court rulings: Shelley v. Kraemer and Barrows v. Jackson “struck down restrictive covenants” (Wilkerson, 2010, p. 330). The family moved in on Palm Sunday 1956 and they welcomed a new baby girl named Joy in December of 1955 (Wilkerson, 2010, p.

331).
Curiosities/ Connection
After reading Doctor Foster’s first section, pages 309 to 314, I wondered what the Doctors reaction would be that following Monday. I also wonder what else Doctor Foster had done while in Vegas. As well as other thoughts or feelings he experienced while in Vegas. This was one of my favorite sections, because I have a personal connection to Las Vegas in that era. After World War II my great uncle Stanley worked in the casinos. One in particular was the Las Vegas Country Club. He was a card dealer in the back for the celebrities such as the Rat Pack, Don Rickle, and if I remember Gene Kelly. I am an old soul and as a result I always wonder what it was like to experience Las Vegas during that time period. Classic Hollywood and Las Vegas always intrigued me.
Regarding the second section, I wonder what residential experiences Robert and his family will have. I wonder if his relationship with his family will improve now that he is financially secure in his job.
Situational Competencies
Situational competencies in these sections include setting, hotels and people. On page 309, Cedars Sinai is non-profit hospital in Los Angeles founded in 1902 (Cedars Sinai, 2016). The hospital is located on Beverly Blvd in Los Angeles, California. The UCLA Medical Center is coined “the best in the west” (UCLA Healthcare, 2005). During the 1950s the center’s accomplishments include in 1956, “UCLA surgeons perform the first open-heart surgery in the western United States” (UCLA Healthcare, 2005). Also in 1958,”UCLA researchers develop the first techniques for fetal monitoring” (UCLA Healthcare, 2005). The hospital Doctor Foster works in is the Metropolitan Hospital, which is located on Twenty first and Hoover Street. Palm Springs, is a city in the Sonoran Desert of southern California. The section mentions Jimmy Gay was from Fordyce Arkansas, which is located in the south part of the state.
The section mentions how Las Vegas was still segregated. By 1955 there were 15,000 African Americans in the city and they were forced to live in the “Westside” (African Americans in Las Vegas). In the Westside, there was no running water, working sewage lines, or paved streets (African Americans in Las Vegas). African Americans had limited access to city’s entertainment. “Resort casinos barred African Americans from gambling, attending shows and staying in their establishments” (African Americans in Las Vegas). In May of 1955, the first integrated resort opened up. The Resort was called the Moulin Rouge Hotel-Casino (African Americans in Las Vegas). In December of 1955, the Moulin Rouge declared bankruptcy however, it was the bridge to full integration (African Americans in Las Vegas).
In Las Vegas, they mention several different hotels. The first hotel is Caesars, on page 309. The hotel is officially called Caesars Palace. Caesars palace is a hotel and casino in Las Vegas. The sections also mentions the Hotel Riviera, which is officially closed now. The hotel was located on the Las Vegas Strip. It opened in April of 1955 and closed down in May of 2015. The Hotel Sands operated from 1952 to 1996 and was located on the Las Vegas Strip. Supposedly the casino was built with mob money. Now the Venetian Resort is built on the site (Moe, Vegas Casino History The Sands Hotel). Lastly, the Flamingo Capri is now called the Linq and is located on the Las Vegas Strip across from Caesars Palace. The Flamingo was built in 1946 (Moe, Vegas Casino History-Flamingo Hotel).
The first section lastly mentions different famous people. Nat King Cole was a singer (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965). He was a leading jazz pianist. Nat King Cole was the first African American to host a show called the Nat King Cole Show. The Rat Pack was a musical group of actors. Which included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop and Humphrey Bogart until his death in 1957. Lastly, Liberace is a pianist.
In the second section, Ray Charles was a famous singer, songwriter and musician. He pioneered soul music. He was blind from the age of seven. There are two court cases that were mentioned in the second section. The first case was Shelley v. Kraemer. In 1945, the Shelley’s were a black family who bought a home in a neighborhood. In 1911, 30 of the 39 parcel owners had signed a restrictive covenant. The neighborhood filed a lawsuit to undo the sale of the property. The Supreme Court ruled that courts could not enforce restrictive covenants (Shelley v. Kraemer). In the Barrows v. Jackson case, which took place in the year 153, “Petitioners sued respondent in a California state court to recover damages for an alleged breach of a racial restrictive covenant” (Barrows v Jackson). The verdict was in favor of the defendant in view of the holding in Shelley v. Kraemer” (Barrows v Jackson).
Lastly, the second section contains numerous locations. Doctor Foster’s office is in West Jefferson which is south west of Los Angeles. The neighborhood West Adams is now a historic neighborhood and oldest neighborhoods in the south Los Angeles. Pico is a major street that runs from the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica to Central Avenue in Los Angeles. Wilshire is North West of Los Angeles. Crenshaw is in the south west district of Los Angeles. Glendale is located near the Angeles National Forest, which is north east of Hollywood. The Canoga Park is in the San Fernando Valley which is located slightly north of Beverly Hills. Hawthorne is a city in southwestern Los Angeles. South Gate is seven miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Culver City is south of Beverly Hills and east of Santa Monica. Lastly, Leimert Park is in the south region of Los Angeles built in the 1920s.