DC Leader to Share Remarks on the Accomplishments of her Father 
 
WHAT: Recollections and Accomplishments of Dr. Charles Drew 
 
WHERE: Moultrie Courthouse   Jurors’ Lounge – Room 3100 
 
WHEN: Friday, February 11th   Noon to 1:30 PM 
 
WHO:  Dr. Charlene Drew Jarvis, President of Southeastern University and daughter of blood bank pioneer Dr. Charles Drew    

To kick off the DC Courts’ celebration of Black History Month 2005, Dr. Charlene Drew Jarvis will speak at the first program entitled “African American Firsts”.  Dr. Jarvis is the daughter of Dr. Charles Drew, the noted blood bank pioneer who, in 1939, developed the first successful method of processing and preserving blood plasma for an extended period of time so that it could be stored and shipped.  Once blood could be stored, blood banks could be established.  Since the first blood bank was set up during World War II, countless lives have been saved by Dr. Drew’s discovery.  Dr. Drew later became the director of the first American Red Cross effort to collect and bank blood on a large scale.   
 
Dr. Charlene Drew Jarvis is also a notable African American and a leader in Washington, DC  During her twenty-one years on the DC Council, she chaired the Committee on Economic Development during a citywide financial crisis and introduced the legislation that brought in the new Convention Center and the MCI Center.  In 1996, Dr. Jarvis was named the first female president of Southeastern University in Washington, DC  On Friday, she will speak about her father, his accomplishments and the hurdles he faced as well as her own experiences as a leader in the nation’s capital.