By Jessica Gorman
I wonder how many students have walked the halls of J.A. Phillips, now Elementary School without ever knowing who Dr. J.A. Phillips was. I was one. I attended sixth grade at Phillips, then Middle School during the 1990-91 school year. It was there, in Mrs. Suzanne Jamison’s class, that I got my first glimpse into the history of Minden, but I knew nothing about the man the school was named for.
Even today, as I write this, I admit my awareness that the little bit I now know about Dr. J.A. Phillips only scratches the surface. In all honesty, I shy away from writing about so many people, events, etc. because I don’t feel that I can do their stories justice. I don’t know enough. I don’t have enough primary sources to reference. The details are all too often missing. Reality is that, to varying degrees, missing details exist in every single story. I’ve come to realize that my own inadequacies can’t be the reason that some parts of our history seem to be given more attention than others.
Julius Andrew Phillips was born 11 November 1896 in New Orleans to Julius C. and Anna Bates Phillips. In 1900, the family was living in Rayne, Louisiana. The U.S. Census reveals that the elder Phillips was a minister. The family continued to live in Acadia Parish until at least 1910 before moving to Shreveport.
In 1918, J.A. Phillips registered for the draft. He indicated his residence to be 1122 Texas Avenue in Shreveport and his employer as J.S. Williams, an undertaker at the same address.
His exact years of attendance are uncertain, but J.A. Phillips attended Texas College, a historically black college founded by the CME church, at Tyler where he is said to have been active in both athletics and debate. He then attended Meharry Medical College in Nashville, the first black medical school in the South and the first to offer a four-year medical program in the South.
While in Tennessee, on 19 April 1924, Dr. Phillips married Zenovia Overton. The couple had two daughters, Rose and Helen. By 1928, Dr. Phillips was back in Shreveport and practicing medicine, his wife and daughters remained in Tennessee. This first marriage ended. He later remarried, to Oda Ellen Jasper. They had three children: a son, Julius A., Jr., and two daughters, Terry Lynn and Anna Elizabeth.
After practicing medicine in Shreveport for several years, Dr. Phillips moved to Minden. In 1942, he was living on East Union. Two years later, he opened Phillips Hospital located at the corner of Talton and Mignon Streets. In January of that year, a New Orleans newspaper ran a short article that mentioned an interesting detail about construction of the hospital. It claims that materials from the Magnolia Hotel were used to build the hospital. The Magnolia Hotel was located on Pearl Street where the dialysis clinic is today.
Dr. Phillips seems to have been a man committed to serving his community. His medical services extended into the schools, providing health screenings for students in Webster Parish and beyond. His service to the community went beyond health care, a newspaper reported, “his was a life of deep concern and appreciation for the betterment and welfare of his fellowmen and community. Dr. Phillips was not merely a successful physician and surgeon, he gave more to this little northern community in Louisiana than the experience of his medical training.” Dr. Phillips served on an advisory committee to the city for the black recreation program. He was also active in protecting the rights of black voters in Webster Parish and was involved in various civic groups.
Dr. Phillips was influential in business circles. In a keynote speech to the Shreveport Negro Business League in 1946, he encouraged black businesses to operate on a competitive basis, as opposed to a racial basis, in order to “build up a worthwhile heritage” and a successful business community. He was a founding member and stockholder of the Keystone Life Insurance Company based in New Orleans and served several years as both vice-president and secretary.
Dr. J.A. Phillips died 12 January 1959 while attending a patient at his clinic. That morning, he is said to have been “carrying people to the registrar of voters office.” His service to others continued right up until his death. His funeral, held at the 14th District Educational Building, was reportedly attended by thousands. Dr. Julius Andrew Phillips is buried in the Sheppard Street Cemetery. His hospital still stands at the corner of Talton and Mignon Streets in Minden.
(Jessica Gorman is Executive Director of the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum, Webster Parish Historian, President of the Minden Cemetery Association, and an avid genealogist.)