UMB in WWII: the classes of 1943M and 1943D

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End sheets of the School of Pharmacy’s 1944 Yearbook: Terra Mariae.

On March 26, Dr. Bruce Jarrell, the University of Maryland Baltimore’s (UMB) Interim President, released a video to the Class of 2020.  In the video, Dr. Jarrell, refers to the uniqueness of the 1943 School of Medicine graduating classes and how they had to overcome unusual circumstances surrounding World War II.  World War II began in September 1939, with Germany’s invasion of Poland; however, the United States did not officially become involved in the conflict until after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. 

Not surprisingly, doctors, dentists, nurses, and pharmacists were needed in large numbers to support both the war effort and the home front.  To meet this unprecedented demand, UMB began offering year-round school in the fall of 1942 in all schools.  This meant an accelerated school year with no extended summer break or long holidays.  The schools graduated students in three calendar years rather than four academic years and new classes were admitted every nine months.  Most schools also had programs where qualified students could receive commissions in either the Army or Navy and graduate with higher military standing.  The School of Nursing, School of Medicine, and University Hospital also contributed personnel to the 42^nd and 142^nd general hospitals on the Pacific Front. 

As a result of the accelerated academic year, for the first time the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry graduated two classes in 1943.  In the School of Medicine, the first 98 students graduated at the “normal” time on March 25, 1943 (1943 M); the second class of 90 students graduated on December 23, 1943 (1943 D).  Similarly, the School of Dentistry graduated 83 students in March, while 76 students graduated in December.  For the first time, the School of Dentistry produced two yearbooks for the graduating class; the yearbooks are filled with remembrances and frustrations with the wartime schedule.  The future that lie ahead of these graduating doctors and dentists is described by Stanley H. Karesh, SOD Class of 1943 D, in the December 1943 Mirror Yearbook; he states, “As the first class to graduate in uniform, the first class to accelerate appreciably, and as dentists who expect to see action in this war, we review with pride the time and effort spent in achieving our purpose.  We entered to learn; we go forth to serve.”  Dr. Karesh went on to serve in the US Naval Reserve Dental Corps during World War II. 

World War II ended in the fall of 1945 soon after the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.  With the end of the war, the accelerated programs ended as well.  Below is a chart of the number of graduates from 1943 to 1945 for each of the UMB Schools.

_{References (all available in the HS/HSL’s Digital Archive):}

_{Annual Catalogue: Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Dental School, University of Maryland. (1942). School of Dentistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Retrieved from: http://www.archive.org/details/dentistr53unse.}

_{Bulletin of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. (1943). School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10713/4321.}

_{Bulletin of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. (1944). School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10713/4322.}

_{Bulletin of the School of Medicine University of Maryland: Announcements. (1942). School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10713/2624. [Academic Catalog]}

_{Catalog and 99th Announcement: Including Accelerated Wartime Program. (1942). School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10713/2216.}

_{Innovation in Action: The University of Maryland School of Nursing from its Founding in 1889 to 2012. (2014). School of Nursing, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10713/7106.}

_{Mirror. (March 1943). School of Dentistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10713/386.}

_{Mirror. (December 1943). School of Dentistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10713/387.}

_{“Reunion ’92.” (1992). Bulletin of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore. 77(2): 22, 30-33. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10713/1609.}

_{Terra Mariae. (1944). School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10713/2380.}