About the Author: 

John A. McFall attended Simonton and Avery schools in 1880s and 1890s. He apprenticed at Peoples’ Pharmacy under Dr. Alonzo McClennan. He worked his way to the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy where he earned a doctorate with honors in Pharmacy in 1899. His parents mortgaged their home to help him open McFall’s Drugstore, which he operated for forty years. But, Dr. McFall determined that the Black community required more from him. Thus, he advocated for teachers and schools and health care. He led the Charleston Mutual Savings Bank to serve his neighborhood. He fought Charleston County when it sought to assert eminent domain on his Ashley Avenue home. He encountered Frederick Douglas, Robert Smalls, Richard T. Greener and Paul Laurence Dunbar, John P. Grace and William E. Harmon. 

About the Editor: 

Lahnice Hollister, Dr. McFall’s grandniece, edited and published Dr. McFall’s entire manuscript – but not because of ancestor worship. Working on the manuscript brought home William Faulkner words “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Dr. McFall’s voice echoes loudly and urgently. We can’t vanquish cancer if we don’t know where it’s buried or how deeply. 

Interview