'Make Him A National Hero': Lansdale's Frank Boston Not Forgotten

LANSDALE, PA — Community leader, doctor, World War I veteran, hospital and ambulance founder: what didn't Frank Boston do?

More than 60 years after his death, the impact of Boston, a longtime Lansdale resident and the founder of what would eventually become Abington Lansdale Hospital and Volunteer Medical Services Corps, lives on. Efforts are now underway to cement that legacy and gain a third U.S. Presidential Citation for Boston, who became one of the first African-Americans in history to be recognized in such a way twice.

“There has never been a better time to recognize the contribution of Dr. Boston and so many other hidden figures,” said Dr. Francis Jeyaraj, a member of the Boston Legacy Foundation, which aims to promote the longtime Lansdale resident's impact.

Boston will be honored Wednesday during a special event at Pearl S. Buck International in Perkasie. Buck, a humanitarian and the Nobel Prize winning author of "The Good Earth," was recognized alongside Boston in the 1950s by President Dwight Eisenhower for their activism on behalf of the handicapped. The discovery that two local icons of national renown shared such an honor spurred the event, which is supported by numerous local dignitaries and leaders. U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and Madeleine Dean, as well as the county commissioners chairs in Montgomery and Bucks counties, Val Arkoosh and Diane Ellis-Marseglia, are backing the push to gain Boston recognition from the White House.

Pearl S. Buck International has also launched several new initiatives, including a "featured Dr. Boston comic book, new motivational posters, foreign language versions of his story, new videos, and an upcoming pictorial biography."

Born in 1890 in Philadelphia, Boston served in World War I in France, earning the rank of Captain before returning to southeastern Pennsylvania and ultimately launching a private medical practice. Elm Terrace Hospital, which would later become North Penn Hospital and ultimately Abington Lansdale Hospital, was first opened by Boston in 1934.

The gala on Wednesday starts at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $100. To learn more about the Boston Legacy Foundation, see here.