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175 Makers of History: Allie Saxon

Allie Saxon 63N
One of Emory's First Two African American Nursing Graduates

With her classmate Verdelle Bellamy, Allie Saxon integrated Emory, graduating with a master's degree from the nursing school.

Saxon earned her bachelor's in nursing from the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, the closest place to Atlanta an African American could earn a bachelor's degree in nursing. Just prior to entering Emory, Saxon taught at Carver High School, near downtown Atlanta.

After earning her Emory degree, Saxon joined the faculty at Winston-Salem State College in North Carolina, which had a training agreement with Grady Hospital. She later moved to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Atlanta and then became a contractor representative for Medicare.