“Genius Unbroken” is the first comprehensive biography to bring the extraordinary life of Dr. Charles Drew, the “Father of the Blood Bank,” into focus. Born into Washington D.C.’s vibrant African American community at the turn of the 20th century, Drew rose on the strength of extraordinary physical and intellectual talents to become a groundbreaking medical research scientist. He lived in Arlington and he and his wife raised their children here. He pioneered methods of blood and plasma storage, leading America’s first large-scale blood bank: innovations that continue to save lives around the world. A gifted surgeon and educator, Drew also became an eloquent and powerful advocate of civil rights, especially equal health care, for African Americans. Tragically, while still a young man, he lost his life while travelling to a medical conference that provided free care to indigent patients.
Researched and developed through a close collaboration with Drew’s daughter, Dr. Charlene Drew Jarvis, Miller encapsulates the life of Dr. Drew in a profound exploration of one man’s challenge to institutional barriers in creating lasting change. The story of Dr. Drew’s seminal and life-saving work while his life offers an enduring lesson in resilience, intellectual triumph, and the transformative power of unwavering determination.
Craig A. Miller, MD is a vascular surgeon educated at Northwestern University, Ohio State, and the University of California in San Francisco. He is the author of four books focused on the history of medicine and science. He has received many awards and accolades for his work in research and clinical medicine, as well as in scientific history and biography. He is an attending vascular surgeon with the United States Veterans Administration and lives in Ohio.
Charlene Drew Jarvis is the daughter of Dr. Charles Drew, was the noted blood bank pioneer. She earned her B.A. from Oberlin College, her masters at Howard University and he Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. She was a research scientist at the National Institute of Mental Health, then was elected to the City Council of the District of Columbia, where she served for 21 years. There, she introduced legislation that brought in the Convention Center and the MCI Center to the city. In 1996, Jarvis was named president of Southeastern University in Washington, D.C., the first woman to hold the position. She gave up her seat on the City Council in 2000 to devote her energies solely to the university. Jarvis has received numerous honors for community service and she is a past chair of the DC Chamber of Commerce.
We are back this month at the Marymount University Library Auditorium.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS and FREE PARKING:Â Attendees planning to attend the event in-person should enter the Marymount University campus at the library gate on N. 26th Street. From Glebe Road going north, take a right onto 26th Street. Pass the intersection with Yorktown Road and then enter the campus through the next gate on your left. The library is to your left as you enter the campus. Free garage parking is just past the library at the bottom of the small incline. (Handicapped parking is immediately to your right as you enter through the gate onto campus.)
- If the university has lowered the garage gates, push the button and let them know you’re here for an Arlington Historical Society event in the library. To leave, push the button and they’ll raise the gate.
ZOOM AVAILABLE: If you can’t be there in person, you can zoom in, but you must register by the end of Wednesday, February 11, 2026 to get the zoom information. Click here to register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfNUc-hv8mbWr61aOhTZy3dMbVRO2E7E5Srn1FKf7JhD6j_3g/viewform
You’ll get an email on the morning of the event (Feb 12, 2026) with Zoom details.
This event is in celebration of Black History Month and is one of the monthly series of free public programs sponsored by the Arlington Historical Society. This event is hosted courtesy of the Marymount University politics program’s American Heritage Initiative. For more information, please email: info@arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org.
