In Remembrance
Samual G. Eubanks, Jr., MD (1941-2013)
benefit his family and improve others’ lives.
T
he Louisville medical community
lost one of its most respected members when Dr. Samuel G. Eubanks,
Jr., died suddenly on December 11, 2013. Dr.
Eubanks was attending a Meharry Medical
College alumni dinner when chest discomfort required EMS to rush him to the Norton
Hospital emergency room, where he died
later that evening.
For thirty-seven years Dr. Eubanks, a
Board Certified OB/GYN, maintained a
thriving practice here in Louisville with his
partner, Dr. Ernest Marshall. Dr. Eubanks
was characterized throughout his medical
career by hospital and office staff, patients,
and colleagues alike as a highly skilled and
compassionate practitioner. It was universally agreed that everyone felt privileged to
work with and for Dr. Eubanks.
Outside of medicine, he cherished his
family and was revered as a caring and attentive father, husband, son and oldest brother
of ten children. As important as his career
was, Dr. Eubanks believed it only had real
value if he used the resources it provided to
12
LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
Although Dr. Eubanks’ medical practice
flourished, his early academic experiences
could have thwarted his success. He was
one of a few African-American students
who attended Memphis State University
during its second year of court-ordered racial integration. Determined to survive in a
challenging environment where Memphis
State administrators openly told AfricanAmerican students they were not welcome
on campus, Sam Eubanks approached his
studies with an unrelenting winner’s attitude. When he could not study at school
because of restricted access to the library,
Sam turned the bathroom of the modest
home he shared with his parents and nine
brothers and sisters into his study hall. Tapping his ingenuity, he used a wooden plank
to turn the tub into a desk.
It was during those trying years that
Sam Eubanks gave particular credit to his
mother, Vernice Eubanks, for motivating
him to dream big to pursue a medical career. Following that advice and using the
difficult racial circumstances during college
to propel him, Samuel Eubanks attended
Meharry Medical College and graduated in
1968. While attending Meharry, he married
Hazel Shannon who became his loving and
supportive life partner for forty-eight years.
After medical school graduation, Samuel
Eubanks’ career encompassed an internship
and residency in Flint, Michigan followed
by two years as a Naval physician in the
Philippines. Eventually in 1976 Hazel and
Sam journeyed to Louisville, Ky. to establish
permanent roots to raise their two children
and pursue his career.
Holding a close second to his love of medicine was Samuel Eubanks’ love of sports.
He was a spectator sportsman for basketball,
football and golf. When it came to tennis,
however, Dr. Eubanks was an avid par-
ticipant who was active in various leagues
across the city. Because he studied the sport
extensively, he could readily recite the personal histories and stats of such notables as
Venus and Serena Williams, Arthur Ashe,
Andre Agassi and Martina Navratilova. For
several years a favorite family vacation was
the Eubanks’ annual trip to the U. S. Open.
Among Dr. Eubanks’ civic and professional affiliations were the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National
Medical Association, Kentucky Medical
Association, Greater Louisville Medical
Society, Falls City Medical Society (pa