Drs Jackson Davis, Junita Archer, Damon Robinson, William Curtis, Jr.

are remembered with love.

Honoring Our Members

On November 3, 1934, Juanita Almetta Hinnant was born at Freedman’s Hospital, Washington, D.C. Her parents, Roy E. and Anna B. Hinnant, said that she arrived just in time for breakfast and she didn’t miss a meal after that. Juanita was especially blessed to be born to Roy and Anna, who were both self-sacrificing, often giving beyond their obvious means to her, younger brother, Roy, Jr. and others out of love, even when they had little for themselves.

Their home was a place where family and friends loved to come, and some stayed. Annawas known for her hot rolls and excellent meals. When a new electronic house appliancecame out, Roy was often the first person on the block to get it. Thus, at an early age, Juanita learned to love family, church members, and neighbors.

God made her path, and then carefully led her along it.

At the age of 4, with no physicians in the family and no regular encounters with physicians, she informed her mother and aunt that she was going to be a “doctor”. To prove this, she repeatedly “treated” her dolls by making “medicine” from weeds and pulling their arms and legs apart and putting them back together.

Initially, she was educated in the segregated District of Columbia’s public schools, where dedicated, well-trained, superior teachers provided excellent opportunities for achievement. Subsequent to God’s grace, she went on to Dunbar High School. Dunbar also had an excellent faculty that was extremely well educated, many with doctorates, who were dedicated to educating their students and ensuring their students were well prepared for college.

As a young high school student, she participated in a rally to get the Rosedale Swimming Pool and Playground desegregated. While going from door to door to get the white neighbors to sign a petition, she encountered nasty name calling from many of them but was not deterred and continued to protest and petition with numerous others. Many years later the Rosedale Playground was integrated.

She continued on to Howard University where she met and became good friends with the love of her life, Frederick Ivan Archer. They dated for six years and were married in June 1958. They were married for 54 years prior to Fred’s death in 2012. To that marriage, God again answered Juanita’s prayer and permitted Frederick Ivan Archer, II to be born.

As an undergraduate at Howard, in 1953, after being one of eighteen pledges in a group called “The Bad Eighteen”, she proudly became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Additionally, she was inducted into Sigma Xi, a scientific honor society. She received three degrees from Howard University: Bachelor of Science (1956), Master of Science (1958) and Doctor of Medicine (1965).

She continued her medical education at Freedman’s Hospital. During her training in internal medicine, she was fortunate enough to be mentored by the wonderful Dr. Walter Lester Henry, Jr. There, she was the first woman and the first Black physician to do afellowship in a National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases laboratory. While at the NIH she worked under Dr. Jesse Roth on the definition of insulinreceptors in the first large group of humans to be studied. Being the first, she saw the need to increase Black representation in medicine, and worked to ensure that two other Black women followed her at the NIH. She returned to Howard in the early 70s, where, with the help of Dean Mann, the Department of Radiology and others, she established the first Endocrine Laboratory at Howard University Hospital. Their work eventually lead to the first published work on insulin receptors in red blood cells. Subsequent to the work at the NIH and at Howard, she and co-corkers were awarded many research grants.

In addition to being invited to serve on numerous scientific boards, she was also invited to present lectures on her work at many sites throughout the country. She published 35 articles, two book chapters and numerous abstracts. In addition, she gave over one hundred lectures on osteoporosis awareness in people of color, diabetes, selfmanagement,and COVID-19 pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment.

Also, she was treasurer of Medco-Chirurgical Society of D.C. for four years and treasurer of Region II of the National Medical Association for four years.

Of the many awards she received, the Howard University Medical Students’ Award for Excellence in Teaching and a Howard University College of Medicine sweatshirt from the students were two of her most prized awards. The friendships established with former students were amongst the many friendships that she prized throughout her life. Having been blessed with two God-loving parents who taught her as soon as she could talk how to say her nightly prayers, her parents would take her to Sunday school or send her in a taxi to be met by older cousins who would keep her until her parents arrived. She was baptized at Metropolitan Baptist Church at the age of 12. At the age of 15, after her parents moved into the Northeast area, she became a member of Israel Baptist Church. At the age of 17, she started and led the first Girl Scout troop at Israel Baptist Church (IBC) where she would later teach the Junior High Boys’ Sunday School class for 26 yearsand was selected as a “Mother of the Year” in 2005.

In 1989, she started a mentoring program called, “Reaching for the Highest”. The program consisted of financial, social, and employment training, sexual education, and college preparation, and was attended by 12-17 y/o young adults from IBC and beyond. Mentoring gave her great joy such that she continued to find ways to help young people throughouther life.

In 2016, she was instrumental in establishing the Emergency Response Team System for quick, orderly response to persons who became sick during a church service at IBC. Following her husband, Trustee Frederick Archer, she was appointed to the Trustee Ministry. After twice refusing to be ordained because God had not told her to do so, on April 22, 2007, she was the third female to become an ordained IBC Deacon. Having waited until she heard God say “What better thing can you do than to serve me”, she remained a dedicated servant as a Deacon.

Since 2011, she has given annual scholarships to graduating seniors each year in honor of her parents and since 2012, with the exception of 2021, she has also given the same in honor of her husband’s dedication to the IBC Sunday School. Her estate will seek to continue these scholarships with annuities from a $50,000 donation to the church.

She is survived by many loving relatives including son, Frederick (Eric) I. Archer, II, Ph.D. and daughter Anke Klueter, Ph.D. (Eric’s wife), Anthony Shepherd, M.D. (who she referred to as her “other son”), his wife Portia (her “other daughter”), two “sister” cousins, Bettie Currie-Tonic and Rose Shaw, a “brother” cousin, Luther Bryant, a “sister”, IBC Deacon Frances P. Hinnant, (wife of Roy E. Hinnant, Jr.) and many other relatives, friends and colleagues.

Jackson Lee Davis III, M.D. entered into eternal rest at The Washington Hospital Center surrounded by his family on Monday, April 15, 2024. Dr. Davis was born in Washington, DC on August 11, 1944 at Freedmen's Hospital to Jackson Lee Davis, Jr. and Alicia Gunn Davis.

Dr. Davis was a beloved member of the community, a respected urologist, a Brigadier General in the US Air Force and an active member of various civic, service and professional organizations. He touched the lives of countless patients, service members and colleagues with his compassion, dedication, and expertise.

Dr. Davis is lovingly remembered by his wife (Nadine); children (Jackson IV and Kimberly); three grandchildren (Jackson V, Gayle Scout and Bella); his great aunt (Evelyn Gunn Horad) and a host of other relatives and friends. Dr. Davis was preceded in death by his parents and his aunt, Malkia Roberts.

W                                                                                DAMON FRANK CARAL ROBINSON, MD

Damon Frank Cabral Robinson, M.D., beloved husband, adoring father, proud son, talented golfer, private pilot, sailor, and anesthesiology-trained pain physician suddenly departed this life on October 9, 2024. Born on March 30, 1974, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Damon was the only child of Sharon Robinson Goods and Howard L. Robinson.
Early in life Damon often amazed his teachers with his talent for disassembling and reassembling electronics and mechanical devices. At the age of 5, he received a portable radio kit for Christmas and surprised his mother by putting it together and tuning into his favorite station before bedtime. Damon grew up in New York and attended the Harvey School. He enjoyed exploring nature, sailing in Long Island Sound, riding his bike and playing miniature golf in Pelham Bay Park. An avid athlete from an early age, Damon enjoyed playing in the New Rochelle Youth Soccer League, little league baseball, lacrosse, and taking judo lessons. He was a dedicated Boy Scout and one of his favorite summer activities was attending the Scouts' sleep away camp. His strong work ethic, commitment to excellence, and strong analytical skills earned him a scholarship to Fordham Preparatory High School in New York. Later, he transferred to Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC where -- as a 6'3" sophomore -- he played varsity basketball for his beloved Gonzaga Eagles. After graduating from Gonzaga, Damon won a full academic scholarship to Hampton University, his home by the sea, where he majored in Chemistry. During his time at Hampton, Damon volunteered for the local fire department training as an emergency medical technician; thus, solidifying his interest in becoming a physician. While attending Hampton, Damon leapt at every opportunity for adventure. He earned his private pilot's license and conducted research in both Tanzania and Venezuela. After graduation, he worked at Merck for one year as an organic chemist while preparing to take the MCAT. Damon then earned a full scholarship to attend the George Washington University School of Medicine where his wanderlust took him to South Africa and Argentina to conduct research and to work in the local hospital. It was at GWU where he met fellow medical student, Tori Brown, who would become his best friend and life partner. Upon graduation from GWU, he went on to the University of Maryland where he completed an internal medicine internship and a year of psychiatric residency. After some soul-searching, he realized that his true desire was to become an anesthesiologist with a specialization in pain management. He completed an anesthesiology residency and pain management fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess in Boston, Massachusetts. In June 2004 Damon and Tori married, and from their union were blessed with three beautiful daughters: Mia Rose, Zoe Noelle, and Carli Rae.
Damon was a beloved pain physician in the Washington Metropolitan region where he was known for his ethics, judiciousness, and evidence-based care of his patients. He also enjoyed doing locum tenens anesthesiology work where he would travel as far away as Pennsylvania to care for patients. Damon was also proud to be an expert witness in a successful high-profile case in Colorado during the Black Lives Matter movement. Damon was a visionary leader, working as Medical Director at the Holy Cross Hospital Pain Department, Medical Director of Pain Management at Precision Orthopedics, and Treasurer of Med Chi, the oldest African-American medical society in the world.
He shared his love of travel and adventure with his wife and children, sailing to the British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas. He would also fly his children to soccer games and on weekend field trips out of town. He enjoyed spending time outdoors: rocking in his rocking chair on the back porch during thunderstorms, meditating in Rock Creek Park, and biking the Capital Crescent Trail. He was also an enthusiastic health nut, staying up to date on the latest nutritional and exercise science. Once he officially hung up his basketball jersey, he fell in love with the game of golf. He was gifted at gathering a few good men who did not initially know one another and over time developed a strong and supportive community. Two of the groups were officially known as the Good Trouble Foundation and The Usual Suspects. Damon also used his creativity and analytical mind to transform his home into the "Halloween House" every October 31st. Hundreds of children would descend upon his home in Shepherd Park to find it shrouded in a smoky mist with a graveyard, flying witch, goblins and ghosts, pulsating to the beat of "Thriller". Damon and his friends took great pleasure in dressing up as various horror film characters, emerging from the dark to surprise the children with tricks prior to giving them treats.
Damon leaves to cherish his memory, his devoted wife, Tori; adoring daughters, Mia, Zoe, and Carli; mother, Sharon Robinson Goods; father, Howard L. Robinson; step-father, Andrew F. Goods; mother-in-law, LaVerne Brown; uncle, Ralph Robinson; aunt, Raymona Robinson; uncle, Raymond Robinson; a host of cousins, aunts, and uncles; and a bevy of golf buddies, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. He is predeceased by his father-in-law, Thomas W. Brown.