32 Register for Initial Class of LSU's Medical School Here

              SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER CITY, LA., FRIDAY, C ONE
FIRST MEDICAL STUDENTS
Three of first 32 students at the
Louisiana State University School of
Medicine, Shreveport, received a brief-ing
on school facilities this morning
during registration from Dr. William T.
McElroy, (left) assistant dean of admis-sions
and student affairs. They are l(eft)
to right) Harry Vorhaben Jr. of New
Orleans, a graduate of Tulane Universi-ty;
Leonard Kancher of New Orleans, a
graduate of LSU, Baton Rouge, and
Thomas Soileau of Ville Platte, also a
graduate of LSU. (Journal Photo by
Lawrence Lea.)
32 Register for Initial Class
Of LSU's Medical School Here
By JUA NYLA HUTCHESON
Journal Staff Writer
Bustling and crowded halls
marked today's registration of
the 32 students composing the
first class of the Louisiana
State University School of
Medicine in Shreveport at the
Veterans Administration Hospi-tal.
This morning, Dr. William T.
McElroy, assistant dean of
admissions and student affairs,
farmed out the students for
physical examinations by eight
physicians in the hospital.
Following their physicals and
clinical laboratory work, the
med students lined up for
photographs and then reported
back to Dr. McElroy for
confirmation of loans and
scholarship awards.
Large and small groups of
students were intermittently
snatched from the halls by
various members of the news
media for photographs and
interviews.
THIS AFTERNOON the men
—already college graduates-will
formally register.
"We had more than 500
applications for this class and
the 32 were selected by the
most democratic process possi-ble,"
Dr. McElroy said. The
students were each judged on
the basis of scholastic aver-ages
in college, recommenda-tions
by their colleges, medical
college admission test scores
and personal interviews with
the faculty.
"They were not chosen with
regard to which section of
Louisiana they came from," he
said, "but after the class had
been selected, we found they
are from all parts of the
state."
apartment complex purchased
from the Federal Housing
Administration for $400,000.
IN THE SPRING of 1968, the
L e g i s l a t u r e appropriated
$630,000 for the medical school
for the then current fiscal year
and it has been funded annual-ly
since.
Administrative personnel at
the new medical school in-cludes
Dr. George R. Meneely,
associate ,dean and coordinator
of plans and-program; Dr. G.
G. Rudolph, assistant dean for
basic sciences; Mayo Drake,
chief medical librarian; Miss
Dorothy E. Risinger, assistant
coordinator of. plans . and pro-gram;
Robert R. Graves,
business manager, and Dr.
Marion D. Hargrove, assistant
dean of clinical sciences.
Departmental heads include
Dr. Erich K. Lang, radiology;
Dr. Frank T. Kurzweg, sur-gery;
Dr. Adrian F. Reed,
anatomy; Dr. G. G. Rudolph,
biochemistry; Dr. Emil Kotch-er,
microbiology; Dr. Helmut
M. Redetzki, pharmacology
and therapeutics, and Dr.
Meneely, physiology and bio-physics.
ACCORDING TO Dr. Mc-
Elroy, the majority of the
classes will be held at the VA
Hospital, but "we might use
Confederate Memorial Medical
Center for clinics."
"Being a native of Shreve-port,
I'm especially prejudiced
about this school," he said.
"But Dean (Edgar) Hull and
the entire faculty feel that this
school -will be a credit to the
State of Louisiana.
Because of space and facility
limitations at the VA Hospital,
Dr. McElroy said the classes
will be limited to 32 until the
new $24 million facility near
Confederate is completed. Then
the classes will average 96 to
100 students.
"BUT," HE ADDED, "I
think our facilities here are
truly elegant considering that
they are just temporary."
The growth of the LSU
Medica* School here from its
conception some 20 years ago
to its birth today has been
marked with public discus-sions,
debates over the site and
legislative battle for funds.
The location debate was
settled April 20, 1967, when the
school was presented the deed
to a formerly federal govern-ment-
owned tract of land near
Confederate. Transferred to
the school was the 296-unit