The name is unfamiliar to most of Ouachita Parish residents. You may have heard of her husband, Dr. Madison Wright Foster, son of Professor Madison James Foster. Dr. Foster was famous in the area in his own right. Let me tell you about Harriet Gordan Foster, RN, the first black R.N. in Public Health Service in Morehouse Parish and second in Ouachita Parish.
According to an October 24, 1974 Monroe Morning World article, Nurse Foster was a native of South Carolina. She graduated from South Carolina State College in Orangeburg and received her nurse training as a registered nurse at the M.E. Hale Hospital School of Nursing, Nashville, TN. She began her work with the Public Health Services in East Baton Rouge Parish, but transferred to Morehouse Parish.
I was told that she and her husband were not allowed to practice at St. Francis Hospital, so they ran their medical practice out of their car. They would make home visits delivering babies and treating any illness or injury as needed in the African American community. Nurse Foster was trained on the Polio equipment and knew all the current knowledge about the virus. According to oral tradition, at the time Polio was thought to only strike whites. It was thought African Americans couldn’t get it. When Nurse Foster protested and advocated for funding, she was brushed aside.
Nurse Foster became a beloved nurse in the Morehouse and Ouachita Parish communities. Her tireless work saved many lives. When she retired in 1974 after 30 years of service, she continued her service by teaching future nurses at the Delta Area Vocational School. She was honored in Bastrop when she retired by being declared an honorary citizen of Morehouse Parish and a “Harriet Foster Day” was celebrated.
Nurse Foster passed away on April 13, 1984 at the age of 80. She was buried beside her husband in Magnolia Cemetery. Just a few years ago after the new Health Unit was built, a community room in it was named in her honor. Many believe the building should have been named for her. I have heard a rumor there are tentative plans to create a play based on her life. Stay tuned!
Ouachita Parish History Tidbits 