Community members, civic leaders, artists and members of the Venable family gathered Saturday, May 16, for the memorial artwork ribbon cutting and grand re-opening of Venable Park in Creve Coeur, honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Howard P. Venable.
Venable was a pioneering ophthalmologist and the first African American faculty member in the WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, joining the faculty in 1958. Throughout his career, he helped advance patient care, mentorship and inclusion in academic medicine, opening doors for future generations of physicians and scientists.
The event also reflected on the injustice Venable and his family faced in the 1950s after purchasing land in Creve Coeur to build a home. Due to racial discrimination and segregation practices of the era, the land was ultimately taken through eminent domain. Today, Venable Park serves as a place of remembrance, reconciliation and community gathering.
The ceremony featured remarks from Robert Hoffman, mayor of Creve Coeur; Jim Singer, historian and author; Jeff Fahs of the HDR Foundation; Erin Slaytor and Victoria Fletcher; family members of Venable. Artists Oletha DeVane and Christopher Kojzar were recognized for their commemorative artwork honoring Venable’s enduring impact and legacy.
Creve Coeur council members, members of the Venable family, WashU Medicine faculty and local community members attended the celebration. Among those present were Dr. Bob Smith and Dr. Garey Lynn Clifford Watkins, who trained under Venable as a resident in 1971 and 1972.
The memorial artwork and park re-opening stand as a tribute to Venable’s contributions to ophthalmology, education and civil rights, ensuring his story and influence continue to inspire future generations.
About WashU Medicine
WashU Medicine is a global leader in academic medicine, including biomedical research, patient care and educational programs with 2,900 faculty. Its National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding portfolio is the second largest among U.S. medical schools and has grown 56% in the last seven years. Together with institutional investment, WashU Medicine commits well over $1 billion annually to basic and clinical research innovation and training. Its faculty practice is consistently within the top five in the country, with more than 1,900 faculty physicians practicing at 130 locations and who are also the medical staffs of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals of BJC HealthCare. WashU Medicine has a storied history in MD/PhD training, recently dedicated $100 million to scholarships and curriculum renewal for its medical students, and is home to top-notch training programs in every medical subspecialty as well as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and audiology and communications sciences.