I've worked in the community yet. I always wonder have I done enough, have I done announce and so it just came to point and said, yes you have and it's time to take care of Odell *** trailblazing physician, civil servant, community leader and family man who served greater Cincinnati for decades before his recent retirement. I think double O did everything he could to make sure that people were lifted up versus being torn down. There's *** lot of negative going on but I always saw double O focusing in on the truth but making sure people understood that there's *** better way to get things done celebrating the life and legacy of Dr O'Dell Owens on *** special edition of Let's Talk Cincy from WLWT. This is Let's Talk Cincy presented by western and southern financial group. Put our financial strength behind you. Hello everyone. I'm Curtis fuller and welcome to let's talk cincy. Dr Odell Marino Owens held many titles during his illustrious career. Health commissioner, coroner, college president, fertility specialist and ceo of *** health education organization. But most importantly, he was *** husband, father and friend. His unexpected death came two weeks shy of his 75th birthday, *** devastating loss to the greater Cincinnati community with all of the credentials that he had. He was always willing to go and make sure that he was doing everything he could to educate and doing everything he could to make sure Cincinnati was just *** better place. He loved his hometown. Dr O'Dell Owens was the epitome of success, recognized around the world for his work in the medical field work for universities name for four years. The Curtis For 2029 years. I gave the first lecture to the first year students in their first day, 29 years in *** row. I've since done it twice more time. Up to 31 more than any other person in history of medical school to address the freshman class on what it means to be *** physician. So even when I left, even I was *** coroner in his presence in the state, they asked me to come back and talk to medical students and that's what made me feel so proud. One of his friends scotty, johnson said he affectionately called Dr Owens double O and I think double O did everything he could to make sure that people were lifted up versus being torn down. There's *** lot of negative going on. But I always saw double o focusing in on the truth, but making sure people understood that there's *** better way to get things done. I can't remember where we were. But I talked to Odell probably about *** week and *** half ago and he encouraged me, he said, you know what, what's going on down there. And I said, trying to do what I can and he said, keep doing it, keep doing your thing down there and when you have *** world renowned figure like that, that was woven into the fabric of Cincinnati that never elevated himself above anything other than just being *** guy from the West End *** proud, what would bulldog like myself that uh, always had *** minute for you and had words of encouragement and was *** straight shooter to Curtis that would let you know, you know, I disagree with that, but after you break it down and talk to him, he was always there man. If we think back and think about the things he did as *** corner, the reality of bringing life and death into communities where there were far too many homicides and far too many violent things going on. Double o always was willing to be innovative. I've always said to people, I've worked in the community yet. I always wonder have I done enough, have I done enough? And so it just came to point and said, yes, you have and it's time to take care of Odell. His daughter morgen might have said it best when she said, her father gave so much to this world. Sitara McGee has more on the legacy of dr O'Dell Owens. He was *** man who needed no introduction. *** boy from humble beginnings in the West End became dr O'Dell Owens. In 74 years he became *** community giant and shaped many other lives like dr Michael thomas before I met Doctor had actually heard of dr Owens. He was *** resident in Detroit at the time and aspiring fertility doctor. I didn't know of any other african americans who were doing that. I was sort of discouraged by some people because they said people wouldn't want you to do that. There's no one like you that's doing that. I heard about this guy in Cincinnati thomas, trained in Cincinnati and says dr Owens opened many doors. He was happy to step through thomas now heads all of women's health for you see, he says his long time mentor and friend believed in others potential and cared enough to develop it. The idea of inclusion that everyone should have *** chance to become what they can have the ability to become Owens graduated from Woodward high school yell and Harvard he excelled becoming *** nationally known fertility doctor. He spent time as the Hamilton county coroner, president of Cincinnati state medical director for the Cincinnati health department and president and ceo of interact for health. Despite the difficulties that he had growing up on the west end, not living in the best of means. He was able to bypass and surpass all of that and become the great legacy that we will always know. Him as Owens was *** Trailblazer, *** family man and by all accounts *** straight shooter who tell it like it is when he was corner he would take *** body bag with him to the schools and he explained, look if you're hanging out there with the wrong people. I'm going to come see you and put you in one of these and that got their attention dr Owens last radio interview was on Lincoln wear show just two days ago, Doctor How are you doing? They talked about the Oregon parents who welcomed twins from embryos frozen 30 years ago. I had the good fortune to produce first baby As well as the first pregnancy from *** frozen in borough here in Cincinnati in 1987. Dr. Heroines always great talking to you anytime you need me welcome back everyone. One person described O'Dell Owens as *** caring leader. Another person said he spent his life giving life creating potential cetera. McGee shares the story of how one family's life was changed forever the day they met O'Dell Owens. When you ask rick and paulette Bleiberg about dr O'Dell Owens, they can't help but smile the fertility doctor helped make them parents of four. He's very compassionate, he is very Supportive big bear hugs all the time. This is an article when two of the first two came home. These were the primary nurses for each baby. The Bleiberg boys have been making headlines since birth, Christmas Day 1989, they had *** skeleton crew at the hospital. So they had to call teams of doctors and nurses in Each baby had their own team. The babies were born at 28 weeks weighing less than £9 combined Rick and Paulette Bleiberg had dreamed of that day for more than *** decade. We went 12 years really we're at the point where this might not happen and we even had two adoptions of newborns that fell through at birth. Then they met dr O'Dell Owens, *** young fertility doctor who accomplished Cincinnati's first in vitro baby and its first pregnancy from *** frozen embryo. First off. We loved his expertise and compassion were unmatched after many appointments and disappointments, they still remember the call, He said you better sit down then they were having triplets. Later he confirmed there were actually four overwhelmed with joy and nerves. The Bleiberg welcome Derek Kyle Zachary and Bradley O'Dell named after their beloved doctor who never gave up. He helped many people. They expressed gratitude for how Dr Owens changed their lives and heartbreak that the 74 year old didn't live to see another christmas. I feel bad for his family. I'm sure it's hard for them. But he definitely made its mark. He put so much into everybody else's lives that heartbroken to hear his legacy lives through our boys. The boys who are now men will celebrate their 33rd birthday. This christmas. The Bleiberg say they stayed in touch with Dr Owens over the year would run into him at the store and he was always waiting with *** big hug And he will certainly be missed in Liberty Township Tara McGee, WLWT News five from the west End of Cincinnati to Yale and Harvard O'Dell Owens said his story was about perseverance. He always told me he felt he had to be better to be equal. People always ask about success and about the path and roads that you take. And I've been asked, you know if you had grown up in *** more middle class um uh in *** richer neighborhood with your path in the same, not at the same extent because you may take some things for granted. I had nothing to take for granted. But I was fortunate that the last couple of years of high school, my father went to Detroit. My mother, my mother been dead at that point for for eight years and so my my grandmother in Detroit, I told my father, why don't you move to Detroit with the kids? Odell can finish high school up here and get *** good job forward on the line and that was my destiny. But *** family black family that I had been there, I was their babysitter, the grass cutter, the snow removal, the caddie uh said you got potential and told my father let Odell stay with us. He was *** physician, she was *** social worker. So I got *** taste of that life. But however, he was *** physician, she's *** social worker, her brother's *** surgeon like him, his brother is *** doctor, his wife brothers, *** doctor. All of her brothers and sisters were either ph D s So I was surrounded by this well educated family where college was never talked about, it was the next step. So I had *** little bit of both worlds, Had *** taste of both worlds. But what sustained me was certainly growing up, poor good part of my life was spent always having to be better just to be equal. When I went to college, the first week, the biology department had *** meeting with all the students who wanted to go to medical school to tell them what courses to take, when they take them, when to apply to medical school, what medical schools would take kids maniac and what was your grade point average at that time, they said, hey from an attack, if you at least *** 3.3, you're gonna get into medical school because they respect our curriculum. So as everybody was walking out and I was the only african american room. The professor grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the room instead of course you Are going to at least *** 3.4 or higher and some of these schools are not going to take you. So I had to, as *** freshman, I had to sit down and actually write out how I wanted to look when I was *** senior, how I was, I was going to present myself to medical schools to create this image that they're going to take me because of all the thousands of applications are gonna get. So I said, okay, I'm gonna be active on the campus. So I was *** DJ, I was involved in communities, I'm gonna focus on my grade. So I had *** 3.8, I chose to go to Africa, my third year of college because I knew that going to Africa, being *** student, there was going to help my resume. It wasn't my great power of Africa or black power any of that during that time period, it was, I had to stand out just to be equal. And indeed, when I went from my medical school interviews, they owe you lived in Africa, Tell us about that and I had great stories. So when I get to Yale, it was oh are you here because you're black, you're here because you're smart because at that time he had the larger clients of black black student, there was seven of us out of 100. So we all felt that. So I said okay, I went across the street and registered for mass degree in public health from Yale and did them both at the same time. I was president of my class at Yale Captain, the medical school basketball team and I was on the board of Trustees of Anti at college. While I was *** medical student. Some attitude was now, okay, either your stuff is raggedy if I can do all this or maybe I do have some smarts, but I had to do more just to be equal. When I stated Gail did *** four year residency and obsession gynecology at the end of that, I was awarded the early Freedman award as the best chief resident. I leave there and go to Harvard where I'm the first black to do *** fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and only the second black to do *** fellowship within the department of O. B G Y N. Once again I found are you here because you're smart, are you here because you're black. And we got to meet some type of quota. I got three degrees behind me from Yale and when I was *** resident I was on the executive committee of the alumni board. So I was never ever just *** student and I'm like that was Urban Freedom Award winner when I got to prove. So one day the residents came to me and said, hey, one of our fellow residents of woman has *** pregnancy in her Fallopian tube and that's where you have to operate very quickly because if it burst you could die. So they said, look, we're concerned that she's concerned that she's gonna have to have *** abdominal incision. The tube is gonna remove, it's gonna cut down her chances for future pregnancy with only one tube and she's going to miss 6 to 8 weeks of work. But we know that *** Yale, you were taught how to do *** procedure through the belly button that could save her too and she only miss work for two days where you operate. I said I'll do it and never been done in Boston have been done at Harvard so I go I operate say the Fallopian tube. She's out of work two days, 10 weeks later we do *** dye test. The tube is open. No more questions about O'Dell Owens. Then my professor was going to the two of us that are doing this fellowship. So he's gonna teach us how to put fallopian tubes back in women that already the tubes tied and change their mind. You do it under *** microscope. They held the needle here. You couldn't see it. So at Harvard he he's *** professor so he booked the case. It's five hours operating room time. I've done it *** Yale already. I was the only one that could book two in five hours. I did to what he's doing. One I was doing to he's supposed to be teaching me but I already learned that procedure. Yeah. So again I had to be better just to be equal. So I come back home to Cincinnati all this training behind me only to have whites walk in the office. See that was black and walk out. I was the only reproductive endocrinologist in the city for three years. You can't find many with 3° from Yale and one from Harvard may not exist. All those days of staying up, all those surgeries. All those reading all those passionate of all those exams ready to give back to my city and people will walk in and say oh he's black and walk out, I even had patients who helped to get pregnant and the last visit they're gonna go now back to their own doctor to be taken care of they can deliver them. And they were crying. And I said okay, they're crying because it's emotional but they were crying because and they would say to me dr Owens, I feel so guilty. I said why? Because I saw that you were black. I was gonna walk out. But I felt you were my only hope in that state. I hugged him and say, hey we're *** team, don't worry about that. You got your baby, that's all that counts. I had doctors say to me oh I'm so glad you got mrs smith pregnant before her husband found out you were black. So you know I looked at that my office staff used to be very upset and I might walk in and walk out. But then I was asked to go to New Haven and be on *** tv show by *** woman named sally jesse rafael. She started out in New Haven and her show went to new york. So she brought in three doctors, three gynecologists and we were on our show, we're asking questions. So after that she said I want you to come back. So over the next two years she would bring me back and when she walked out she would say, I hate doctors. But I love this man. Well when I returned to Cincinnati, my phone was ringing off the hook. People want to come all over the country from the caribbean. People come up to see me. Yet in Cincinnati, people wanted to walk out until my name gather and they knew that was black and then those people that had that kind of orientation then longer came to the office. But I told my staff, I said, you know, don't get upset because right now it takes two months to get an appointment with me. So what I'm gonna be upset for someone who wants to walk out, let us rejoice the patients who have faith in us. I never, I never let people try to pull me down because I truly truly embrace my oath is *** physician. I want my resume to really reflect and the message, my resume is that In the 9th grade I was told by *** college counselor after flunking out of one of the hills that I was too poor and too dumb to go to college for me to take class in the shop. That's what I want young kids to understand it. No one should put you in *** box. No one should write you off the fact that I can, that I've been involved in medicine, education. Uh variety of other things because Odell got educated and that's the message I wanted young kids to have, you know Curtis my involvement community was never from oath uh pledge that's my promise to my heart that that kid that came from the West End had nothing hit rock bottom and I flunked out of the hills. My friend was rock bottom and yet I've gotten some amount of success because people help me and I never gave up my my faith that I wanted to go to college. I wanted that didn't want to be poor in the West End. I've seen that life that was I didn't want I didn't want that and some people say oh people should never talk about money. No I'm sorry when I was pouring down and out man. Yes that's what I want. I wanted what they had when I could see on T. V. I like to read about in the newspaper. There's nothing wrong in telling kids if that's what you want but you gotta earn it, it's not gonna fall up on the table for you, you gotta go out and earn it, get that degree no one can take that second part of my resume. I want people to know I'm not the diamond in the rough. I am the rough. And when I tell young people all the time how can calculus or physics been tough when you live the life that you've lived when you've gone days without eating, you may not have electricity, you may not have the best of clothes, you had no love at your house, You were teased, you cried at night. How can anything that *** teacher put in front of you br when you've already had that? I've always told young people, never let your past dictate your future, but always make it *** part of you. And that's what I've used. I've used my past to be *** part of me. And so I hate those tough times at Yale or Harvard can't be. I've already been already been there. This isn't gonna be hard. You know. Odell was *** loyal friend of more than 30 years. Always supportive. He was brilliant, funny and caring. He always said he wanted to make *** difference. Well that he did. I'm Curtis fuller. I'll see you next time for another edition of Less Talk sense.