Professor Emeritus of History Jake Spidle is the featured speaker for the Albuquerque Historical Society's program, "Tuberculosis to Outer Space: The Saga of the Lovelace Medical Center and the Two Doctors Lovelace," on Saturday, June 19 at 1 p.m. at the Lovelace Education Building, 6200 Gibson Blvd. SE.

Spidle taught in the history department at UNM for many years and specializes in the history of modern medicine with an emphasis on New Mexico and the southwest. He authored "The Lovelace Medical Center: Pioneer in American Health Care," in which he chronicles the Lovelace saga with special mention of the astronauts in the late 1950's.

William Randoph Lovelace, M.D. and Edgar Lassatter, M.D. sought their personal cure for tuberculosis in New Mexico in the early 1900's. After both were well, they teamed up in the 1920's to start a practice which ultimately became one of New Mexico's largest health care presences. Not without controversy, the two doctors pioneered the "group practice" philosophy which was radical at a time when solo practice doctors were considered the "American Way."

Dr. William Randolph (Randy) Lovelace II joined his uncle in practice after WWII. A clinic was built on Gibson in 1949. The fledgling NASA space program used the talents and research of Dr. Randy Lovelace to test and help select the original Mercury 7 astronauts in the late 1950's

Founded in 1947, the Albuquerque Historical Society (AHS) welcomes all who are interested in the history of our city to its monthly programs. All programs are free and open to the public.  For more information call Janet Saiers, 299-5019, jsaiers@msn.com

Media contact: Carolyn Gonzales, 277-5920, cgonzal@unm.edu