Lake Forest-Lake Bluff History Museum

Image courtesy of The HistoryMakers, Inc.

Caption: Bernice Narcisse Bacon (center) showing Robert "Bob" Bacon (left) and Kenneth Bacon (right) their shares at Riverside National Bank of Houston, the first African American owned bank in the state of Texas. Image courtesy of The HistoryMakers, Inc.

Dr. Robert J. Bacon, Sr. (1921-2009) was born in Como, Mississippi on the Taylor Plantation. His family moved north as a part of the Great Migration to Illinois where they settled in Lake Forest. His parents took a “couples job” working on an estate in Lake Forest, which included housing for them but not for their son, who lived in town with Alice and Sherman Black, family friends the Bacons had known in Mississippi. (Pictured below at the Club DeLisa in Chicago in the 1930s, are Frank Bacon (left) and Alice and Sherman Black (right), with friends.)

His memories of growing up in Lake Forest include specific moments of getting introduced to the arts while still in elementary school. He learned to dance from Irene Castle McLaughlin, renowned for her ballroom dancing work with her first husband, Vernon. Castle lived in Lake Forest at the time and was involved with a group of Black Girl Reserves with the local Young Women’s Christian Association (Y.W.C.A.). In an oral history interview, Bacon described the African-American community of Lake Forest: “There were very few Blacks there but most…[were an] educated group so to speak.” Many Black residents had attended university and then owned their own businesses. The fact that in his interview, Bacon could list all of these families and their individual occupations during his youth demonstrates the close-knit nature of the town. Despite being an integrated community, Bacon experienced discrimination in Lake Forest. Once he was passed over in favor of a white student for the American Legion award, an award typically given to the top students in the class. In the 1930s, the Deerpath Theatre forced Black attendees to sit in the balcony. Still, Bacon’s experience in Lake Forest remained positive. He attended Halsey and Gorton Schools before entering Lake Forest High School in 1937.

Bacon’s class at Lake Forest High School was the first to attend all four years at the new school and graduated in 1941. As a high schooler, Bacon participated in several activities and sports. He excelled on the football and track teams, appearing often in The Lake Forester with details of his races and wins. He was voted as Track Captain for his senior year and also earned the only individual title at the County Meet for winning the 100-yard dash and placing second in the 220-yard dash. Among many track accolades, Bacon also lettered and co-captained the football team his senior year, although he often came into conflict with Coach Edgar William Lindenmeyer. Bacon recalled that Coach Lindenmeyer had “his idea of how Blacks were supposed to act, I didn’t act that way.” Bacon helped his neighbor, Mrs. Elizabeth Coleman, a widow who lost her two sons in quick succession, with different household chores and tasks for her laundry business. In one instance, Coleman asked Bacon for help on a Friday afternoon, a day he typically had a football game. Bacon didn’t hesitate to help her run errands even at the expense of his football career. Lindenmeyer threatened to kick him off the team but Mrs. Coleman intervened on his behalf and questioned whether or not “that that team, that football was more important than her welfare and the welfare” of her children. Bacon’s willingness to help out a neighbor in need illustrates the community’s reliance and trust in each other. He was also elected president of the student council and served with other high school students in organizing an issue of The Lake Forester. As a straight A student, Bacon was a top student in his class and felt encouraged in his academic career from many Lake Forest teachers. Even in the tension with Coach Lindenmeyer, Bacon still excelled and impressed the community with his accomplishments. Bacon attended Fisk University in Nashville, TN before enrolling in the U.S. Army Student Training Program during World War II. He received his medical degree from Meharry Medical College in 1947 and subsequently served in the Korean War as a First Lieutenant Medic. HIs desire to go to medical school stemmed from a boyhood interaction with a Black doctor in Waukegan, Illinois. Bacon remembered hearing vaguely about the Tuskegee experiment (“Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male”) and learning about the contrasts in medical care for white and Black populations. This connects to his later work in opening an all-Black medical group in Texas and working directly with Black communities during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. His medical career primarily occurred in Houston, TX after he left the Army in 1953. Bacon was inspired to specialize in urology from various mentors. Bacon relocated to Houston, TX with his wife, Bernice. At the time, Bacon was one of the first Black certified urology specialists in Houston. He faced discrimination early in his career as some people in TX refused to be treated by a Black doctor. As more African-American doctors moved to the area, they joined forces, so to speak, and opened an all-Black practice to serve the Black community in Houston: Lockwood Professional Group.

Bacon left private practice in 1975 to join the faculty at the Baylor School of Medicine, a position he held for nineteen years. In addition to teaching, he served in the admissions office and specifically recruited students from prominent HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), as many of them were not familiar with Baylor School of Medicine. After retiring from teaching in 1994, Bacon worked for a sexual health clinic in Houston amidst the HIV/AIDS epidemic, specifically in the Black community. The clinic was originally supposed to be a part-time job but often functioned as a full-time position since Bacon enjoyed the work and serving the community. Bacon passed away in 2009 at the age of 86.

Robert Bacon