Our Legacy
Dedicated to the Legacy of Dr. Leonard Stovall
Dr. Stovall’s Early Years
The Cornerstone of Our Foundation
Leonard Stovall was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1887, and came to Los Angeles as a young child. In 1906 he became the first African American to graduate from Hollywood High School.
Dr. Stovall finished two years of pre-med undergraduate study at the University of Southern California. In 1908 went on to attend the University of California, Berkeley, Medical College and graduated in 1912.
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Dr. Stovall’s Work
Tuberculosis patients of the day were treated in long-term sanitariums. The disease claimed four times as many victims among the African American community as affected white people. Yet, none of the sanitariums would treat them.
In 1930, Dr. Stovall became the first African American appointed to the tuberculosis section of the staff of the Los Angeles City General Hospital. By that time, he had been specializing in the prevention and cure of tuberculosis for 12 years.
By 1938, Dr. Stovall and his colleagues formed the Outdoor Life and Health Association (OLHA). By 1954, tuberculosis had been largely abated. OLHA’s strategic direction shifted to elderly and disabled care.
Dr. Leonard Stovall passed away in 1956. After his death, the OLHA was renamed the Stovall Foundation in his honor. Today, the Stovall Foundation continues his path of service, providing housing and support for over 300 low-income and disabled seniors.
Dr. Stovall’s Legacy
Dr. Stovall and his wife, Yolande (nee’ McCullough) Stovall, had 2 children, both of whom followed in their fathers footsteps by becoming physicians who selflessly served their communities in South Los Angeles: his son, Dr. Gerald Leonard Stovall, who worked at L.A. County General Hospital as well as maintained a private family medicine practice on Western Avenue; and daughter, Dr. Yolande Stovall Brooks, a physician and former Chief Medical Officer of Hubert Humphrey Clinic. Both were as beloved and respected by their patients, peers and communities, as was their father.
By now, Dr. Stovall’s family legacy has extended to several generations of caregivers.
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