Mary Hueber is learning about Dr. Sarah Loguen and other remarkable women at OASIS.
This fall, OASIS offers “Remarkable Women in the History of Central New York,” one of 160+ courses offered by this Upstate-sponsored senior program. Among the remarkable women being studied is Dr. Sarah Loguen (1850-1933), a graduate of the medical school now at Upstate Medical University. How was Loguen selected to be part of a group of historic women that includes suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage and ceramist Adelaide Alsop Robineau?
Instructor Renee-Noelle Felice, who is relatively new to OASIS and Syracuse, describes it as a bit of a fluke.
OASIS Instructor Renee-Noelle Felice
“I saw Sarah Loguen’s name on a street sign (on the Upstate campus) and wanted to know more about her, ” explained Felice. “When I found out she was an African American physician in the late 1800s–when our country was barely out of slavery–I was really intrigued.”
Dr. Loguen’s life was intriguing. Born, raised and educated on Syracuse, Loguen grew up in a home was the main station of the underground railroad in Syracuse. After graduating from medical school, Loguen interned in Philadelphia and Boston, and practiced medicine in Washington, DC . In 1882, she boarded a ship to the Dominican Republic, and became the first woman doctor in that country.
What do the OASIS students think of Dr. Loguen?
“It’s so hard to believe that she was able to accomplish what she did at the time did,” said OASIS member Mary Hueber. “What factors got her where she was? How much was drive and intellect, how much was luck?”
Hueber, one of 29 students in the OASIS class, is a trailblazing woman in her own right. A member of the well-known family of builders, Hueber spent her professional life working as a building-materials supplier in the construction industry. For years, she saw no other women on the job.
Hueber joined OASIS after retiring, “to get out, and to stay active and intellectually stimulated.”
What else connects Hueber to OASIS and Upstate Medical University?
“I had a kidney transplant at Upstate 35 years ago, so I’m a longtime patient. I’m very lucky have Upstate.”
