Vivien Theodore Thomas, born in New Iberia, Louisiana, August 29, 1910. He was the son of a carpenter, and grandson of a slave. His family moved to Nashville, TN. where Vivien graduated with honors from Pearl High School. Thomas had hoped to go to college and study to become a doctor, however, the Great Depression derailed his plans of furthering his education of doing so. He then landed a summer job in carpentry at Fisk University. Later in 1929 with no means for education, he took a job as a laboratory technician at Vanderbilt University’s Medical School as a lab assistant, working for Dr. Alfred Blalock. Thomas was happy to even have a low paying job as the depression deepened. He was classified, and, paid, as a janitor, despite the fact that by the mid 1930’s he was doing the work of a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Blalock’s Lab. Although Thomas was only 19, Blalock was impressed by his confident, business-like air, and hired him immediately. Dr. Blalock and his young research fellow, Dr. Joseph Beard respectfully tutored Thomas in anatomy and physiology while working at the lab. Blalock wanted someone knowledgeable and independent who could carry out his research work in the laboratory. Thomas rapidly mastered complex surgical techniques and research methodology while struggling with severe racism. Thomas worked with Dr. Alfred Blalock doing research on the causes of hemorrhagic and traumatic shock, leading to the widespread use of blood and plasma transfusions that later evolved into Research on Crush Syndrome, which saved lives of soldiers in World War II. By mid 1930’s Blalock and Thomas began experimental work in vascular and cardiac surgery. A decade later, the foundation was laid where the two performed for the revolutionary lifesaving surgery at Johns Hopkins. Where blacks were only employed as janitors at the Hopkins Institution. By June 1941 Thomas arrived in Baltimore with his wife Clara, and their young child only to find a housing shortage and racism much worse than in Nashville, TN. In 1943, Dr. Helen Taussig, a renowned pediatric cardiologist came to the institution desperately seeking a solution to a complex and fatal 4-part heart anomaly called Tetralogy of Fallot known as Blue Baby Syndrome or Cyanosis. (This is when blood is shunted past the lungs, creating oxygen deprivation and blue pallor). Thomas was charged with the task of first creating a blue baby-like condition (cyanosis) in a dog. In about 2yrs of lab work involving some 200 dogs, Thomas was able to replicate in the canine model. Only two of the four anomalies in the Tetralogy Fallot he demonstrated that this was not lethal and persuaded Dr. Blalock that the operation could be safe to attempt on a human patient. On November 29, 1944, the first procedure was tried on an eighteen-month-old infant named Eileen Saxon. Because no instruments existed for cardiac surgery, Thomas adapted the tools from the laboratory, which he used to perform on dogs. Although Thomas was not allowed to operate he coached Dr. Blalock at he’s request step by step through the procedure. The procedure prolonged the infant’s life several more months, but was not a success. Which then lead to two more procedures just like it on an 11yr old girl and on a 6yr old boy that were a great success. In 1946, a complex operation called an atrial septectomy, the procedure was executed so flawlessly by Thomas that Blalock, upon examining the nearly undetectable suture line, was prompted then to remark, “Vivien, this looks like something the Lord made.” Eventually, after negotiations in his behalf by Blalock, he became the highest paid technician at Johns Hopkins by 1946, and by far the highest paid African-American on the institution’s pay roll. Vivien T. Thomas had to deal with a society that would not let the likes of him (poor, black and uneducated) attend higher education. Though he was highly regarded in the medical community for his scientific genius & surgical skills with no formal medical training, Thomas helped develop intricate surgical techniques that ultimately saved thousands of lives. Thomas not only assisted in surgery, he was also credited with inventing various clamps and tools used in surgeries. Thomas trained many of the nation’s top surgeons, 30yrs before Johns Hopkins admitted it’s first black surgical resident, Thomas served as a black research technician from 1941 until 1979, without a degree and has taught operative techniques to white staff surgeons at the University’s Hospital. In 1979, upon his retirement, he became instructor emeritus of surgery. Vivien Thomas's achievements were widely recognized by his colleagues. In 1976, the Johns Hopkins University awarded him the honorary degree Doctor of Laws. He made a great contribution anyway.