MILWAUKEE — At 98, Dr. William Finlayson considers it a blessing to have a local street named after him.
"Oh it was a great ceremony, it's very memorable. I hope to look back five years from now, it's an honor," said Dr. Finlayson.
Related: 98-year-old Milwaukee legend Dr. William Finlayson continues to inspire the next generation
An honor indeed. Surrounded by his family and a host of dignitaries, Dr. Finlayson, a veteran, was praised for not only delivering generations of babies as the first black OB-GYN at St. Joseph and Sinai Hospitals; he also delivered hope. He was barely out of high school when he served three years in the Army during WWII and achieved the rank of First Lieutenant.
Dr. Finlayson attended the historical Black college of Morehouse along with other leaders such as classmate and fraternity brother Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He went on to earn a medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee.
Medicine was far from his only interest, Dr. Finlayson was also concerned about the economic health of his community. He was instrumental in the founding of North Milwaukee State Bank which existed in Milwaukee for over 40 years.
It was his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, that was influential in making Tuesday's ceremony a reality.
"We got funding from Delta Chi Lambda chapter you see here, to go and knock on doors up and down 5th Street to get the support of the community and then got a unanimous vote from the Common Council here in Milwaukee to rename 5th Street," said fraternity member Reginald Johnson.
It's definitely something generations to come can be proud of.
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