Graduated Harvard Medical School Class of 1973
Shirley Marks, born and raised in Tyler, Texas, attended Spelman College, in Atlanta, Georgia. She attended Harvard Medical School from 1969 to 1973, and credits being recruited by Dr. David Potter at Morehouse College, where she took most of her classes.
Dr. Marks was the second African American woman to attend Harvard Medical School, graduating in 1973. In 1975, Dr. Marks graduated from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with a master's degree in Behavioral Science. After completing her medical education and training, she returned to Texas, where she specialized in psychiatry.
"Harvard Medical School has accepted Morehouse men for years, for decades; this is not new... I'm the first Spelman graduate to have been accepted at Harvard Medical."
"What happened in September of 1969, the history is, that was the first year that Harvard Medical School admitted more than 3 black students ...And so, we made history; there were 16 of us. I had no idea I was going to be the only female, speaking of social, cultural shock."
"I think that was really the difference, that there was a time when we got together to form coalitions, and when you form coalitions, you find out what other people are doing, whereas before...whoever was there in the 50s, it was just an individual accomplishment."