Leonidas H. Berry papers, 1879-1994

One folder in box 5 is closed until 2059 and has been removed to restricted storage.

Copyright may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Materials were a gift of Leonidas H. Berry beginning in 1985 (accession #: 1985.0816 and others).

Leonidas H. Berry papers (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

Biographical materials, correspondence, reports, published articles, newsletters, programs, newspaper clippings, photographs, scrapbooks, administrative documents, and other papers of Leonidas H. Berry, a Chicago African American gastroenterologist. The materials relate to various aspects of Berry's career, including the establishment and progress of his clinics for treatment of addiction to narcotics; his work at Provident Hospital (1935-1970), Michael Reese Hospital (ca. 1946), Cook County Hospital (ca. 1936); and his tenure as professor at the Cook County Graduate School of Medicine (1946-1976). Also present are documents pertaining to Berry's administration of the Cook County Physicians Association (ca. 1955), the National Medical Association (1965), and the Flying Black Medics (1970). Some materials pertain to Berry's family history and the African Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Berry was an active member.

Leonidas H. Berry was a prominent gastroenterologist who practiced at several Chicago hospitals including Provident Hospital and Michael Reese Hospital, where he was the first African American physician to join the hospital staff. Dr. Berry was also a professor at the Cook County Graduate School of Medicine (1946-1976). He co-developed the Eder-Berry biopsy gastroscope, published numerous articles on gastroenterology, and held positions in a number of medical organizations. He served as chairman of Mayor Richard J. Daley's health committee, president of the Cook County Physicians Association (ca. 1955), and president of the National Medical Association (1965). In addition, Dr. Berry served as an advisor on President Lyndon Johnson's national commission on heart disease, cancer, and stroke (ca.1964). As an advisor to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Dr. Berry helped establish four narcotics treatment facilities in Chicago and formulated the "Berry Plan" for narcotics treatment. He also established the Flying Black Medics (1970), a team of doctors and other medical professionals who provided medical care to the underserved African-American community in Cairo (Ill.). Dr. Berry resided in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago and died Dec 4, 1995, at age 93.

Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include Dr. Berry's family history published in 1981: "I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey : two centuries of an Afro-American minister's family."

• Subject
  • African American clergy--Virginia
  • African American families--Virginia
  • African American physicians--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • African Americans--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • African Americans--Medical care
  • African Americans--Religion
  • Drug abuse--Treatment
  • Gastroenterologists--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • Gastroenterology
• Names
  • Berry, Beulah Harris, 1879-1960
  • Berry, Llewellyn L. (Llewellyn Longfellow), 1876-1954
  • Berry, Leonidas H.--Archives
  • African Methodist Episcopal Church
  • Cook County Graduate School of Medicine (Chicago, Ill.)
  • Cook County Hospital (Chicago, Ill.)
  • Cook County Physicians Association (Ill.)
  • Illinois. Dept. of Public Health
  • Michael Reese Hospital
  • National Medical Association (U.S.)
  • Provident Hospital (Chicago, Ill.)
  • Wilberforce University
• Geographic Coverage
  • Chicago (Ill.)--Intellectual life--20th century
  • Chicago (Ill.)--Race relations--20th century

The collection is arranged in six series.

Series 1. Biographical materials, 1924-1994 (box 1-2)

Series 1 contains biographies, correspondence, awards, photographs, event programs, newspaper clippings, speech transcripts, handwritten notes, and other papers regarding Berry's personal life and family history. Many of the handwritten notes and family history materials were compiled for Berry's autobiography, I Wouldn't Take Nothin' for my Journey (1986). Also includes correspondence and other materials related to Berry's 50th class reunion at Wilberforce University in Ohio.

Series 2. Gastroenterology and other medical materials, 1932-1993 (box 2-4)

Series 2 contains correspondence, research files, published articles, handwritten notes, lectures, conference programs, book reviews, partial manuscripts, and other materials related to Berry's career in gastroenterology. Much of the correspondence consists of letters between Berry and his colleagues regarding gastroenterology and other medical practices. Many of Berry's lectures and speeches on the topic of gastroenterology are included, as well as a portion of Berry's textbook Gastrointestinal Pan-Endoscopy. This series also contains materials on Berry's medical-related travels abroad.

Series 3. Hospital materials, 1930-1990 (box 4-5)

[RESTRICTION: One folder from box 5 is CLOSED until 2059]

Series 3 contains correspondence, articles, memoranda, personnel items, reports, newspaper clippings, handwritten notes, and other materials concerning Berry's tenure at Provident Hospital (1935-1970), Michael Reese Hospital (ca. 1946), Cook County Hospital (ca. 1936), and the University of Illinois Medical Center. Most materials pertain to Berry's tenure at Provident Hospital, including reports and newspaper clippings concerning administrative issues such as the proposed closing of Provident Hospital and possible merger with Cook County Hospital.

Series 4. Narcotics treatment materials, 1925-1968 (bulk 1950-1955) (box 5-8)

Series 4 contains correspondence, reports, published articles by Berry and others, posters, memoranda, newspaper clippings, and other materials pertaining to Berry's work as an advisor on narcotics addiction treatment for the Illinois Department of Public Health. Materials relate to Berry's work with clinics and addicts, including typed copies of the Berry Plan. Also included are articles, reports, and clippings that discuss drug addiction in the United States and Chicago. Anti-drug brochures and other printed materials are also present (ca. 1950).

Series 5. Organization and committee files, 1940-1985 (box 8-9)

Series 5 contains correspondence, reports, published materials, research files, lectures and speech transcripts, newspaper clippings, programs, meeting minutes, handwritten notes, and other materials pertaining to Berry's work with the National Medical Association, the Medical Forum Group, the Health Systems Agency, the Health and Hospitals Governing Commission of Cook County, the Flying Black Medics, the Cook County Physicians Association, and other organizations of which Berry was an active member. Also present are articles and reports written by Berry for the Chicago Commission on Human Relations regarding racial integration at hospitals in Chicago, as well as Berry's research files on integration at hospitals throughout the United States.

Series 6. Scrapbooks, 1879-1960 (box 10-11)

Series 6 consists of seven scrapbooks compiled by Berry's mother Beulah Berry, which contain photographs, correspondence, greeting cards, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, and other materials pertaining to the lives of Berry and his immediate family. Also present are materials related to the African Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Berry's father Llewellyn Longfellow Berry was a pastor.