Title
To honor and recognize the extraordinary and tremendously important endeavors of Carrie Nelson Black and Samuel L. Black and to show our gratitude to this couple for their unwavering service and dedication to the citizens of Columbus and Central Ohio.
Body
WHEREAS, a man of principle, Samuel L. Black distinguished himself in several different professions. He was a highly-respected attorney, renowned judge in both the Probate and Juvenile Courts and twenty-ninth Mayor of our fine city from 1897-1898; and
WHEREAS, during his tenure as Mayor, Mr. Black was instrumental in getting the Jacobs conduit built which provided the first "safe" water source for Columbus; additionally, the Union Station was completed, the municipal electric light plant and the West Side levee were built and plans for the Griggs Dam were finalized; and
WHEREAS, as the first Juvenile Court Judge in Franklin County, Judge Black is credited with materially assisting in the framing of the present juvenile court law of Ohio but is most favorably known for setting new and high standards for protecting the interests of children to improve their 'plight', and, through his understanding and innovative methods, Judge Black straightened and strengthened the lives of hundreds of boys and girls; and
WHEREAS, a most remarkable woman and champion of health, charity and welfare organizations, Carrie Nelson Black, paralleled her husband's endeavors as a humanitarian, was adept at recruiting friends and acquaintances to assist and whose proactive and inventive actions no doubt saved countless lives, and the institutions that she helped establish continue to do so today; and
WHEREAS, in 1898, Carrie Nelson Black founded and served as president of the Instructive District Nursing Association (IDNA) of Columbus whose objective was to care for the sick poor in their homes, which, in collaboration with the City of Columbus, then later became the first Columbus Health Department Home Nursing Services and is now known as LifeCare Alliance; and
WHEREAS, in 1901, Mrs. Black became the Director of the Ohio Society for the Prevention of Tuberculosis, now known as the Ohio Public Health Association; and
WHEREAS, in 1906, Carrie Nelson Black resigned as IDNA president to concentrate on founding the Columbus Society for the Prevention and Cure of Tuberculosis providing food, medical care and a place to recuperate for poor people who lacked medical resources, which evolved into the Central Ohio Lung Association and eventually became the present day Breathing Association; and
WHEREAS, in addition, Mrs. Black founded the Columbus Tuberculosis Society Free Dispensary in 1906, launched a successful campaign in 1913 to build the Open Air School for children with TB at Hudson and Neil Avenues, and in 1931 solicited contributions for land and had the Nightingale Cottage built on Brice Road for children exposed to tuberculosis since isolation was the only treatment at the time; and
WHEREAS, Carrie Nelson Black then founded the Columbus Cancer Clinic in 1921 with the professional assistance of Dr. James Baldwin and Dr. Andre Crotti because she was alarmed over the high cancer mortality rate in Columbus and believed that the control of cancer was a civic responsibility. The Columbus Cancer Clinic was the first free detection, diagnostic and treatment center for cancer in the United States; and
WHEREAS, in her spare time and while lovingly caring for three children, in 1911, Carrie Nelson Black also prevailed upon Governor Judson Harmon to issue the first Mother's Day Proclamation ever made in Ohio; and
WHEREAS, it would be hard to imagine where we would be today without the noble spirit and selfless commitment of true pioneers like Carrie Nelson Black and Samuel L. Black; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby posthumously recognize and offer our sincerest appreciation and admiration to Carrie Nelson Black and Samuel L. Black for their achievements which significantly improved the social and moral fabric of Central Ohio.