♪ >> GULF WINDS BLOW THROUGH CANOPY ROADS ALL THE WAY TO THOMASVILLE.

♪ THE NATIVE NAMES WRITTEN ON THE LAND ECHO THROUGH THE RED CLAY HILLS.

♪ WHERE THE SCENT OF LONGLEAF FLORIDA PINE REACH UP ON PAST THAT GEORGIA LINE.

♪ STROLL THROUGH TALLAHASSEE TOWN OR SOUTHERN APALACHEE-BOUND -- ♪ TAKE THE LOCAL ROUTES AND JOURNEY DOWN THE ROADS WE CALL OUR HOME.

♪ TAKE THE LOCAL ROUTES AND JOURNEY DOWN THE ROADS WE CALL OUR HOME ♪ >> WELCOME TO "LOCAL ROUTES."

I'M SUZANNE SMITH WITH WFSU PUBLIC MEDIA.

THE ROOTS OF OUR FIRST STORY OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES SPREAD ACROSS THE WORLD.

OUR TALE BEGINS WITH DR. BRUCE MEANS, A LOCAL BIOLOGIST.

WE'VE ACCOMPANIED HIM ON MORE THAN A FEW WET, MUCKY AND SLITHERY ADVENTURES ACROSS THE PANHANDLE.

BUT TODAY WE WERE ABOUT ADVENTURES ABROAD, ADVENTURES THAT NOW HAVE PUT MEANS IN AN INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT.

WFSU'S ROB DIAZ DE VILLEGAS SAT DOWN WITH MR. MEANS TO TALK ABOUT HIS JOURNEY.

>> BRUCE MEANS STOOD ALONE DEEP IN THE MOUNTAINS IN NORTHWESTERN GUYANA SCANNING THE CLOUD FOREST WITH HIS HEAD LAMP.

HE PEERED THROUGH HIS FOGGY GLASSES AT A SEA OF ANCIENT TREES CLOAKED IN BEARDS OF VERDANT MOSS.

I TURNED 80 ON THAT EXPEDITION.

[LAUGHTER] I GOT TO DO A SWAN SONG SORT OF EXPEDITION.

THERE'S GOING TO BE AN ARTICLE IN "NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC" AS WELL AS AN HOUR-LONG DOCUMENTARY ABOUT IT.

>> AFTER 35 YEARS OF EXPEDITIONS TO THIS EXTREME ENVIRONMENT, YOU MIGHT BE LOOKING AT BRUCE MEANS' FINAL ADVENTURE HERE.

MIGHT BE.

WE SAT DOWN TO TALK WITH HIM ABOUT HIS DECADES OF DISCOVERIES HERE AND CLOSER TO HOME.

♪ >> TEPUIES ARE, VERY SIMPLY, MESAS.

AND A MESA IS A FLAT-TOPPED MOUNTAIN.

I HAVE BEEN EXPLORING WHAT'S CALLED THE GUYANA SHIELD, AND THAT IS THE HEART OF THE SOUTH AMERICAN CONTINENT.

AND ON TOP OF THIS SHIELD AREA RISE THESE WONDERFUL TEPUIES UP TO ABOUT 10,000 FEET.

SO THEY'RE PRETTY SPECTACULAR.

AND ALONG THE SUMMITS THEY ARE LOST WORLDS, LET'S SAY, THAT ARE SURROUNDED BY VERTICAL CLIFFS ON ALL SIDES SO THAT ONE CAN'T EASILY CLIMB UP.

>> ON THIS LIFE EXPEDITION, FAMED CLIMBER ALEX HUNNEL ADDED EXCITEMENT TO THE NAT-GEO STORIES, BUT FOR MEANS THE THRILL HERE IS BIODIVERSITY.

>> I'M AN ECOLOGIST.

I WAS TRAINED HERE IN NORTH FLORIDA AT FSU.

AND IT TURNS OUT THAT ECOLOGISTS AND OTHER BIOLOGISTS ARE GENERALLY, YOU KNOW, KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE TEMPORATE PART OF THE WORLD IN WHICH THEY WERE TRAINED.

BUT A REAL FIELD ECOLOGIST OUGHT TO HAVE SOME UNDERSTANDING ABOUT PROCESSES IN THE TROPICS, BECAUSE THE WORLD HAS HAD TROPICAL ZONES AROUND THE EQUATOR ALMOST FOR ITS ENTIRE EXTENT.

>> IN THE 1980s MEANS STARTED GOING TO THE GUYANA SHIELD ON SELF-FUNDED EXPEDITIONS.

>> AND I EVENTUALLY BECAME FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH THE BIOLOGY OF THE AREA THAT I COULD WRITE GRANT PROPOSALS, AND THEN I GOT INVOLVED WITH "NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC" WHICH FUNDED SOME OF MY EXPEDITIONS AND DID SOME DOCUMENTARIES CULMINATING IN THE LAST ONE WHICH I JUST COMPLETED.

AND IT MAY BE MY SWAN SONG BECAUSE I'M 81 YEARS OLD.

SO WHAT WE DID WAS WE TREKKED FOR MANY DAYS THROUGH BRIDGE AND RAIN FOREST, WHICH WAS REALLY LOVELY.

WE GOT TO RIVERS AND STREAMS AND CREEKS, AND THE INDIANS HAD FELLED TREES ACROSS THEM SO THEY COULD BALANCE AND TEETER ACROSS AS DID EVERYBODY ELSE.

BUT I COULDN'T DO THAT.

MY SENSE OF BALANCE IS SHOT, SO I HAD TO CLAMBER DOWN INTO THE CREEK ITSELF AND EITHER SWIM, CRAWL OR DRAG MYSELF THROUGH THE WATER, GET UP THE OTHER SIDE.

STRAIGHT BANKS, MUCKY, SPIDERY.

[LAUGHTER] IF YOU READ THE MAGAZINE ARTICLE AND SEE THE DOCUMENTARY, YOU'LL FIND OUT THAT -- [LAUGHTER] I PETERED OUT.

[LAUGHTER] PHYSICALLY.

AND YET I HAD TEAMMATES WITH ME, THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS, THAT ACTUALLY MADE SURE THE EXPEDITION WAS A SUCCESS SCIENTIFICALLY.

AND YET IT WAS THRILLING TO ME BECAUSE I GOT TO GO DO SOME MORE FIELD WORK AND LOOK FOR SOME MORE OF THE WONDERFUL ANIMALS THAT I SPECIALIZE IN.

AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, ON THIS EXPEDITION WE DISCOVERED PROBABLY THREE SPECIES OF FROGS NEW TO SCIENCE, ONE SNAKE AND ONE LIZARD.

AND IT'LL TAKE ME MONTHS IF NOT A FEW YEARS TO GET ALL THAT WRITTEN UP.

AND IT'S NAMED AFTER ME.

IT'S A SPECIES UNIQUE TO THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE.

>> HE'S ALSO DESCRIBED A FEW NEW SPECIES CLOSER TO HOME.

[LAUGHTER] >> WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE HERE IN THE PANHANDLE OF FLORIDA BECAUSE FLORIDA, FROM ABOUT THE SUWANNEE RIVER TO THE PERDIDO RIVER, IS ONE OF THE TOP BIODIVERSITY HOT SPOTS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.

I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE IN MY CAREER, I GOT MY DEGREES AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY IN THE PROCESS OF STUDYING THE BIODIVERSITY OF THE PANHANDLE OF FLORIDA.

I'VE DONE RESEARCH ON SNAKES AND FROGS AND LIZARDS AND THE LIKE BUT ALSO ON ECOSYSTEMS AND FIRE ECOLOGY AND ALL THE THINGS THAT GO TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS PANHANDLE SUCH A FABULOUS PLACE.

>> ALL OF THAT ROOTING THROUGH MUCK WHETHER HERE IN THE PANHANDLE OR IN SOUTH AMERICA HAS LED TO BRUCE MEANS DISCOVERING NUMEROUS REPTILE AND AMPHIBIAN SPECIES TO SCIENCE.

IT'S THE ULTIMATE THRILL IN ANY OF HIS ADVENTURES.

>> IT'S A THRILL FOR A FIELD BIOLOGIST BEYOND ANY MEASURE TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO FIND AND RECOGNIZE YOU'VE GOT A SPECIES NEW TO SCIENCE AND THEN DO THE WORK OF NAMING IT.

YOU KNOW, THAT COMES LATER WHEN YOU SIT IN THE OFFICE AND YOU DREAM ABOUT THE FUN YOU HAD OUT IN THE WILD AND YOU HAVE TO GRIND THROUGH ALL THE DETAILS OF WRITING UP A SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PAPER WHICH IS A CULMINATION OF ALL THAT WORK.

>> FOR WFSU, I'M ROB DIAZ DE VILLEGAS.

>> YOU CAN WATCH OUR PREVIOUS ADVENTURES WITH BRUCE MEANS ON WFSU'S ECOLOGY BLOG.

IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO HEAD OUT ON WFSU'S ECOLOGY BLOG THAT YOUR OWN ECOADVENTURE, YOU CAN HEAD OUT ON ONE OF OUR GREAT LOCAL TRAILS.

ONE THAT ROB AND HIS FAMILY HAVE ENJOYED OVER THE YEARS IS THE GARDEN OF EDEN TRAIL NEAR BRISTOL, FLORIDA.

THIS 3.7-MILE LOOP TAKES YOU TO A FABULOUS VIEW THAT OVERLOOKS THE APALACHICOLA RIVER.

♪ >> MY NAME IS MAX.

DADDY!

>> MY NAME IS JAVI.

>> AND TODAY WE'RE VISITING THE GARDEN OF EDEN TRAIL.

>> I'VE DONE A FEW SEGMENTS IN THE APALACHICOLA RAVINE LATELY, AND IT'S MADE ME WANT TO GET THE BOYS OUT HERE TO THIS SPECIFIC SPOT.

♪ >> DO YOU GUYS REMEMBER OUR TORREYA CAMPING TRIPS?

>> YES.

>> DO YOU REMEMBER HIKING ON THESE TRAILS?

HERE'S SOME VIDEO MOM TOOK.

[BACKGROUND SOUNDS] [LAUGHTER] >> THE GARDEN OF EDEN TRAIL IS ON THE APALACHICOLA BLUFFS AND RAVINES PRESERVE.

IT PROTECTS SOME OF THE COOLEST GEOLOGY AND BIOLOGY IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA.

THERE WAS A PRESCRIBED BURN HERE THREE DAYS BEFORE WE CAME.

♪ >> TODAY'S BURN AT THE APALACHICOLA BLUFFS AND RAVINE IS BEING CONDUCTED RIGHT ADJACENT TO THE HIKING TRAIL.

COME BACK IN JUST A FEW SHORT DAYS, ALL OF THIS WILL BE GREEN AND VERDANT ONCE AGAIN.

>> JUST THREE DAYS, AND LOOK AT WHAT THE WIRE GRASS IS ALREADY DOING.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE PLANTS ACROSS THE TRAIL FROM WHERE THEY BURNED.

THIS REGION IS KNOWN FOR ITS ABUNDANT PLANT LIFE.

♪ >> WE CLIMB DOWN INTO THE STEEPHEAD RAVINE.

WHOA, WE'RE REALLY FAR UP.

>> SO WE'RE GOING DOWN IN.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

>> COOL.

♪ >> DOWN THERE WAS PRETTY SHADY.

LOTS OF DIFFERENT PLANTS GROW ON THE SLOPES AND IN THE RAVINE STREAM.

♪ [INAUDIBLE CONVERSATIONS] >> I SAW A PRINCE LIZARD.

>> I LIKE THAT YOU SAW THAT BECAUSE WHAT ABOUT THE SCALES THERE, GUYS?

>> CAMOUFLAGE.

>> YEAH.

♪ >> THAT IS CALLED A LUNA MOTH.

♪ >> THIS IS ALLEN BLUFF.

>> IT'S THE BIGGEST GEOLOGICAL OUTCROPPING IN FLORIDA.

>> DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE WITH FUN TO LOOK FOR FOSSILS ON HERE?

>> YES.

>> YES.

>> WHAT KIND OF FOSSILS?

WE WATCHED THE VIDEO I DID A FEW YEARS AGO.

WHAT KIND COULD WE FIND?

>> MEGALODON.

>> I WANT TO FIND A MEGALODON TOOTH.

♪ >> FOR WFSU, I'M ROB -- >> AND I'M MAX.

>> AND I'M JAVI.

>> -- DIAZ DE VILLEGAS.

LIKE I SAID, I'VE DONE A FEW SEGMENTS ON THIS PART OF THE RIVER RECENTLY.

CHECK THOSE OUT ON THE ECOLOGY BLOG.

>> AND IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, SUBSCRIBE.

>> NEXT WE TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO THE HISTORY OF A LOCAL HOSPITAL THAT ONCE EXISTED ON FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY'S CAMPUS.

AS PART IN A SERIES WE DID A FEW YEARS AGO CALLED RETRO LOCAL WITH OUR WFSU-FM NEWSROOM, WE LOOKED AT HOW THE CREATION AND CLOSING OF THIS HOSPITAL IMPACTED AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY.

WFSU NEWS DIRECTOR LYNN HATTER BRINGS US THIS STORY.

♪ >> HISTORICALLY, BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ARE VIBRANT CENTERS OF EDUCATION.

>> COME ON, RATTLERS!

>> THEY HOLD A SPECIAL PLACE IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURE.

>> STRIKE AND STRIKE AND STRIKE AGAIN.

>> AT THEIR PEAK IN THE 1930s, THERE WERE 121 HBCUs ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

BUT IN THE YEARS SINCE INTEGRATION, THESE INSTITUTIONS, THESE CENTERS OF COMMUNITY, THEY'VE BEEN SLOWLY DISAPPEARING.

THAT LOSS IS SOMETHING FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY KNOWS WELL.

IT'S LIVED IT BEFORE.

FAMU IS AN HBCU THAT'S STILL A SEVEN-CENTRIST COMMUNITY IN TALLAHASSEE, BUT IT'S BEEN FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL FOR DECADES EVER SINCE THE CLOSURE OF ONE OF ITS MOST NOTABLE INSTITUTIONS.

TODAY FAMU'S FOOTHILLIER BUILDING HOUSES THE SCHOOL'S ADMISSION OFFICES, FINANCIAL AID AND ACCOUNT CENTERS, BUT NEARLY 50 YEARS AGO IT WAS A HOSPITAL.

>> I DID NOT KNOW THAT FAMU HAD A HOSPITAL.

>> NO, I DID NOT KNOW THAT FAMU HAD HAD A HOSPITAL.

>> I ABSOLUTELY DID.

MY ADVISER, MR. McALLISTER, SHARED IN CLASS THAT HE WAS BORN THERE.

>> ED HOLLIFIELD'S MOTHER MILLICENT WAS A NURSE AT THE HOSPITAL.

HE GREW UP TO BE A DOCTOR OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, BUT WHEN HE WAS A CHILD, FAMU'S HOSPITAL WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT TREATED AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN NORTH FLORIDA.

>> YOU'VE TALKED TO FAMU STUDENTS, AND THEY DON'T HAVE A CLUE AS TO THE ROLE OF THIS HOSPITAL.

AND AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, THAT'S TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.

THAT'S ADMINISTRATIVE MALPRACTICE.

THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS HOSPITAL, THE ROLE THAT IT PLAYED AND THE ROLE IN HOW IT HELPED KEEP BLACK PEOPLE ALIVE.

>> THE ROOTS OF THIS SOCIAL CENTER GO BACK TO THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR WHEN SCHOOLS LIKE FAMU WERE ESTABLISHED TO EDUCATE A NEWLY-EMERGENT, FREE BLACK POPULATION.

>> YOU HAVE THE CONFLUENCE OF A VARIETY OF WORLDS AND SEGREGATION AND RECONSTRUCTION, THE CIVIL WAR, FREED MEN, AFRICAN-AMERICANS OR PREVIOUSLY SLAVES THAT ARE NOW UNDERSTANDING THE BANKING SYSTEM AND LANDOWNERSHIP AND INDEPENDENCE.

>> THIS DOCTOR IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE SOUTHEASTERN HIVE ON THE CAMPUS OF FLORIDA A&M.

>> THE ARGUMENT BETWEEN W.E.B.

DuBOIS AND BOOKER T. WASHINGTON ABOUT WHAT TAKES YOUR PATH TO INDEPENDENCE IS HIGHER EDUCATION OR VOCATIONAL SKILL.

>> FAMU'S HOSPITAL STARTED IN 1911 COMBINING THE LOCATION OF NURSING WITH HIGHER EDUCATION.

>> WE AS CHILDREN THOUGHT WE WOULD BE LIKE THEM, BECAUSE I THOUGHT SURELY I'D BE A NURSE.

THERE IS NO WAY I WOULDN'T BE A NURSE BECAUSE THEY WERE JUST SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL TO ME IN THE WHITE UNIFORMS, YOU KNOW?

THE WHITE STOCKINGS AND THE WHITE SHOES AND THE CAPS.

AND I THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST GORGEOUS.

BY NAME IS RHONDA LITTLE RANSOM, AND I'M FROM AND BORN IN PENSACOLA, BUT TALLAHASSEE IS MY HOME SITE.

THAT'S WHAT I ALWAYS SAY.

THE NURSES I REMEMBER AS A CHILD WERE SO PLEASANT TO US AND SO KIND TO US.

THIS HOSPITAL FOR US, PARTICULARLY THE ONES THAT LIVED IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, WAS A SOCIAL CENTER.

>> FAMU BECAME THE FIRST SCHOOL, BLACK OR WHITE, TO HAVE A NURSING BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM IN THE STATE.

THESE NURSES AS WELL AS THE SCHOOL'S TEACHERS, LAWYERS AND OTHER GRADUATES WOULD GO ON TO FORM THE FOUNDATION OF THE CITY'S BLACK MIDDLE CLASS.

AMONG THEM, THE DOCTORS WHO STAFFED THE HOSPITAL.

>> THE PRIMARY PHYSICIANS WERE ALL BLACK PHYSICIANS, AS I SAY, AND THERE WERE JUST A FEW OF US.

AND THE SUB-SPECIALISTS WERE THE WHITE PHYSICIANS WHO, ON CALL FROM US, WOULD COME OVER TO DO WORK THAT WE DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE IN TAKING CARE OF.

>> DR. A.D. BERKELER IS A RETIRED OBSTETRICIAN WHO'S DELIVERED MORE THAN 30,000 BABIES IN HIS SIX-DECADE CAREER.

THAT CAREER BEGAN AT THE FAMU HOSPITAL.

>> THE 5-YEAR-OLD AND THE 6-YEAR-OLD BOY OR LITTLE GIRL THAT WAKE UP, THAT PROBABLY WOKE UP IN THE 1880s, 1890s AND DID NOT SEE A POSITIVE IDENTIFIABLE CHARACTER TO MODEL AFTER.

BUT IN THE 1950s AND '60s, YOU CAN START TO SEE MORE OF THAT.

1970s CERTAINLY YOU SAW SOMEONE WHO COULD IDENTIFY WITH WHETHER IT WAS IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD OR IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

AND NOW I CAN SEE THAT I CAN BE SOMETHING, I CAN CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY.

AND IT WAS A POWERFUL AND MEANINGFUL WAY.

>> HISTORICALLY, BLACK COLLEGES LIKE FAMU WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

TALLAHASSEE FAMU STUDENTS LED THE TALLAHASSEE BUS BOYCOTT OF 1956 AND THE WOOLWORTH SIT-INS.

THINGS BEGAN TO CHANGE IN 1964 WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT.

IT PAVED THE WAY FOR WIDESPREAD INTEGRATION.

>> THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, OF COURSE, TO HELP UPLIFT AND PROVIDE MORE STRENGTH AND BALANCED EQUILIBRIUM TO AFRICAN-AMERICANS, OPPORTUNITY.

>> YET THERE WAS AN UNFORESEEN COST, AND THAT COST WAS PAID BY BLACK INSTITUTIONS.

>> HERE'S THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT THAT SAYS SEPARATE BUT EQUAL MAKES NO SENSE.

SO WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY.

OUR LEGISLATURE BELIEVES IN OPPRESSING AFRICAN-AMERICANS, SO WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO USE THIS CIVIL RIGHTS ACT TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO TAKE AWAY FUNDING.

IF YOU'RE NOT SERVING A WHITE POPULATION, WE WANT TO TAKE AWAY FUNDING IF YOU DON'T HAVE A STAFF THAT REFLECTS AMERICA.

>> FAMU BEGAN TO SEE ITS PROGRAMS THREATENED AS MORE PEOPLE BEGAN TO QUESTION THE NEED FOR TWO STATE UNIVERSITIES IN ONE CITY.

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY WAS JUST ACROSS THE RAILROAD TRACKS.

>> THERE'S A LAW SCHOOL AT FAMU, YOU HAVE A HOSPITAL, FLAGSHIP NURSING PROGRAM, RESEARCHERS, AND YOU HAVE FSU THAT HAD ONE OF THOSE.

>> THE FIRST FAMU INSTITUTION TO CLOSE WAS ITS LAW SCHOOL.

THE STATE DEFUNDED IT IN 1965, AND IT SHUTTERED IN 1968.

ITS ASSETS WENT TO FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE PREDOMINANTLY WHITE SCHOOL.

THREE YEARS LATER THE FAMU HOSPITAL BEGAN TO FACE THREATS OF CLOSURE.

IT LOST ITS FEDERAL HEALTH CARE FUNDING TO TALLAHASSEE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL WHICH WAS NOW INTEGRATED AND, FACING FINANCIAL HARDSHIP THEY COULDN'T OVERCOME, THE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL OFFICIALLY CLOSED ITS DOORS IN 1971.

>> THE OLD HOSPITAL WAS TAKING CARE OF ALL OF THE BLACK INDIGENT PATIENTS AND, SUBSEQUENTLY, MORE OF THE WHITE INDIGENT PATIENTS IN THE COMMUNITY BEFORE IT CLOSED.

AND IF YOU TAKE CARE OF A LOT OF SICK PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY, YOU'RE GOING TO RUN OUT OF FUNDS.

[LAUGHTER] AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO A&M HOSPITAL.

>> EVERYBODY WAS HEARTBROKEN.

THERE WAS SO MUCH WE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND, SOME WE DID UNDERSTAND.

MOST OF THE STAFF, SOMEBODY IN THE COMMUNITY KNEW SOMEBODY WHO WORKED HERE.

WE ALL KNEW SOMEBODY WHO WAS GOING THROUGH SOMETHING AS A RESULT OF THE CLOSURE.

>> THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF WHAT WOULD BECOME A FIVE-DECADE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL FOR FLORIDA A&M.

>> HERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONSIDER, WHICH BECAME A FIGHT LATER, TO MERGE FSU AND FAMU.

WE CAN CLOSE THEIR HOSPITAL, TAKE ON THEIR PROGRAMS, TAKE ON THEIR LEADING FACULTY, INTEGRATE SOME OF THEIR STUDENTS WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, STRONG ACADEMICALLY.

>> OVER THE YEARS DIFFERENT PROGRAMS WERE TARGETED FOR REMOVAL; NURSING, AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES, EVEN FOOTBALL.

>> SO THE MERGER OF THESE TWO INSTITUTIONS MADE SENSE TO SOME PEOPLE, NOT NECESSARILY TO ALL.

YOU HAD AFRICAN-AMERICANS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE EQUATION, ESPECIALLY THE RISING MIDDLE CLASS.

>> IN 2014 THE REMINDERS OF LOSS AND RACIAL RESENTMENT EMBODIED IN THE CLOSURE OF THE HOSPITAL AND LAW SCHOOL WERE AGAIN REUNITED IN THE JOINT COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING.

FORMER STATE SENATOR ARTHENIA JOYNER WAS AMONG THE LAST CLASS OF STUDENTS TO GRADUATE FROM THE LAW SCHOOL BEFORE IT CLOSED.

>> THIS IS DIFFERENT FOR ME THAN ANYBODY ELSE HERE BECAUSE IT TAKES ME BACK TO A TIME WHEN I SAT IN THE STACKS STUDYING, AND THE BOOKS WERE REMOVED AND TAKEN TO FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY.

I SAT THERE AS THE LIGHTS WERE DIMMED AND THE DOOR CLOSED KNOWING THAT NO OTHER BLACK STUDENT WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME TO FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY BECAUSE SOMEONE ENVISIONED THAT IT WOULD BE BEST AT FLORIDA STATE.

>> IN THAT SAME SENATE DEBATE, FORMER SENATOR DWIGHT BULLARD NOTED FAMU'S RACIAL HISTORY IS ETCHED IN STONE, A REMINDER OF DECADES OF LOSSES AND STRUGGLES.

>> AS A STUDENT OF FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW BITTER IT FEELS FOR A STUDENT TO PASS BY THEIR LIBRARY DOOR, TURN THE CORNER AND SEE CARVED INTO THE MARBLE COLLEGE OF LAW AND KNOW THAT THAT BUILDING DOES NOT EXIST.

YOU DON'T KNOW HOW DISHEARTENING IT IS TO GO TO THE LAW LIBRARY AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY TO STUDY STATUTE AND SEE FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY STAMPED IN THE BOOKS AT FLORIDA STATE.

>> AND THOUGH THE BATTLE TO SPLIT THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING DIED ON THAT SENATE FLOOR, IT REVEALED WOUNDS THAT NEVER HEALED AND INJURIES NO HOSPITAL CAN TREAT.

THE FAMU COMMUNITY BELIEVES THERE ARE LESSONS TO BE LEARNED IN ITS LONG FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL.

>> WE NEED TO LEARN ABOUT OUR OWN HISTORY.

IT NEEDS TO BE A PART OF OUR EDUCATION JUST AS IT IS FOR OTHER INSTITUTIONS.

>> THE PEOPLE THAT WORKED THERE WERE OUTSTANDING IN THEIR DEVOTION TO WHAT THEY WERE DOING.

THEY WERE TAKING CARE OF THEIR PEOPLE, AND THEY WERE VERY DEVOTED TO IT.

BUT THEY DID WHAT THEY DID BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY.

SO THAT KIND OF MEDICAL SPIRIT WAS VERY INSPIRING TO ME.

>> WE HAD A LOT OF PRIDE, AND WE STILL DO FOR THOSE WHO REMEMBER THE OPENING AND HEARING ABOUT IT FROM OUR FAMILY MEMBERS AND EXPERIENCING IT AT SOME POINT.

IT SERVED ITS PURPOSE.

IT WAS A GOOD PLACE, IT WAS A KIND PLACE.

>> YOU KNOW, ON THIS CAMPUS RIGHT NOW THERE ARE PEOPLE WORKING IN THE BUILDING WHERE THE HOSPITAL RESIDED THAT WERE BORN IN THAT BUILDING.

THERE WAS A PRESIDENT, A FORMER DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF PHARMACY THAT LED THIS UNIVERSITY BUT WAS ALSO CARED FOR IN THAT BUILDING AND SPEAKS TO HIS LIFE BEING SAVED BECAUSE OF THE CARE.

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO REMEMBER THAT TIME AS BEING PROGRESSIVE AND A SOURCE OF PRIDE AND SPEAK OF IT PROUDLY.

AND SO THE LEGACY IS THAT I REMEMBER WHEN FAMU HAD A HOSPITAL, WHEN NO OTHER FACILITY WAS AVAILABLE IN A 150-MILE RADIUS.

AND IT SHOWS THAT FAMU WAS ABLE TO BE A LEADER AND CAN BE A LEADER AGAIN.

>> FAMU IS THE SAME UNIVERSITY THAT WE FELL IN LOVE WITH IN 1887.

FAMU YESTERDAY, FAMU TODAY, FAMU TOMORROW, FAMU FOREVER.

♪ >> THAT'S IT FOR THIS EPISODE OF "LOCAL ROUTES."

I'M SUZANNE SMITH.

YOU CAN SEE THESE STORIES AND MORE ON WFSU.ORG/LOCALROUTES.

AND WHILE YOU'RE ONLINE, FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM.

PLUS, SIGN UP FOR OUR COMMUNITY CALENDAR NEWSLETTER DELIVERED WEEKLY TO YOUR E-MAIL.

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO STAY ON TOP OF EVENTS HAPPENING IN PERSON AND IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD.

FOR EVERYONE AT WFSU PUBLIC MEDIA, THANKS FOR WATCHING.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK, EVERYONE.

♪ MAGNOLIA TREES GREET THE SOUTHERN BREEZE IN THE LAND WHERE RIVERS WIND.

♪ SEEDS THAT SPRING UP FROM THE PAST LEAVE US TREASURES YET TO FIND.

♪ WHERE OUR CHILDREN PLAY ALONG THE LAND OUR FATHERS BUILT WITH HONEST HANDS.

♪ TAKE A MOMENT NOW AND LOOK AROUND THE PARADISE WE HAVE FOUND.

♪ TAKE THE LOCAL ROUTES AND JOURNEY DOWN THE ROADS WE CALL OUR HOME.

♪