'How my father shaped my life'

Ebony, June, 2003

He demonstrated to me that if you are anyone in this world, certainly if you've been blessed with certain talents and skills, you have an obligation to give back.

He also had a great sense of humor, a lot of class, a great sense of style. He was very serious and passionate about the things that he cared about. He stood up for what he believed in and stuck with it. He was passionate and resolute, and that's what I loved about him. I loved the fact the he was a fighter. In my own life, I have a little bit of that fighter in me, and a lot of passion for community and for issues of fairness."

Dr. David Satcher,
director of the National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse
College School of Medicine, and former U.S. Surgeon General
Father: Wilmer Satcher

"My father was Wilmer Satcher. He never finished first grade, but he was one of the wisest people I've ever met. He cared enough to make sure that we all had an opportunity to get an education, even though he didn't have that opportunity.

He was also a very religious man. The only office my dad ever held was in the church--he was a deacon and believe it or not, he was superintendent of the Sunday school for almost 25 years. My mother, Anna, taught him to read, and he was really looked upon as a Biblical scholar.

I often tell a story about when I was getting ready to leave for Morehouse College, and he took me to the bus station to catch the bus. And I remember thinking, I wonder how he feels, because he was always giving me advice. And now, I'm going somewhere that he's never been. He doesn't know anything about college--he's never been to a college campus and he's taking me to the bus station to go to Morehouse.

I was ready to get on the bus and he said, 'David' I said, 'Yes, dad: He said, 'I want you to promise me one thing: I said, 'What's that?' He said, 'Where you're going, you're going to meet people who have much more than you have. And you might even meet some people who have less than you have. But promise me that you're going to treat everybody with respect, regardless of what they have. Promise me that you're going to treat everybody the same and you're going to treat everybody with respect.' And I said, 'I promise you, dad. I'll do that'

I've never received any better advice in my life. I've tried to do that. Whether I was surgeon general or president of Meharry or just out in the street, I've tried to treat everybody with respect. And it pays off. So without question, the faith of my father and my mother, and their deeply held belief in education, shaped my life."