Walter C. Reynolds, pioneering Portland doctor and Urban League president, dies at 100 OregonLive.com 12/21/2020
Pioneering Portland physician Walter C. Reynolds died last month in Gresham. He was 100.
The U.S. Army veteran was the first African-American to graduate from the University of Oregon Medical School, now Oregon Health & Science University. Reynolds opened his own clinic on North Williams Avenue in Portland and went on to lead the medical staff at Emanuel Hospital. He later helped recruit minority students to OHSU. (One of the medical school’s popular aerial trams is named “Walt” in his honor.)
Inspired by his mentor Dr. DeNorval Unthank, Dr. Reynolds looked beyond his medical practice and the medical profession in his efforts to improve the community. He worked to combat racism in Oregon as well as increase opportunities for people of color, serving as president of the Urban League of Portland in the late 1950s.