MORRISTOWN, Tenn. — A professor at Walters State Community College said the college is planning to host a viewing of a documentary that shares the story of an East Tennessee doctor who shattered racial barriers and rose to national prominence during the 1950s.
It is called "Extraordinary Man: Dr. Branch of Newport, Tennessee." He was a doctor who dedicated his life to caring for people in East Tennessee, providing medical care in Cocke Co. and beyond.
"In the height of Jim Crow, not only did he treat them as human beings, sometimes he would walk home with a payment of potatoes, giving them the best possible care," said Jessica McClure, from Walters State.
She also said the college plans to host the viewing on campus.
Dr. Branch graduated from medical school and moved to Newport in 1914. He provided crucial medical care to a predominantly white region in the mountains where the need for healing often took precedence over bigotry.
The racial barriers Dr. Branch overcame through decades of devoted work eventually led to national recognition in the 1950s. Branch was profiled in Ebony Magazine and then was featured in a 1958 episode of the television program "This Is Your Life."