This fall, OASIS offers "Remarkable Women in the History of Central  New  York," one of 160+ courses offered by this Upstate-sponsored senior program.  Among the  remarkable women being studied  is Dr. Sarah Loguen (1850-1933), a graduate of the medical school now at Upstate Medical University.  How was Loguen selected  to be part of  a group of historic women that includes  suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage and ceramist Adelaide Alsop Robineau?

Instructor  Renee-Noelle Felice, who is relatively new to OASIS and  Syracuse,  describes it as a bit of a fluke.

"I saw Sarah Loguen's name on a street sign (on the Upstate campus) and wanted to know more about her, " explained  Felice. "When I found out she was an African American physician in the  late 1800s--when our country was  barely out of slavery--I  was really intrigued."

Dr. Loguen's life was intriguing. Born, raised and educated on Syracuse, Loguen grew up in  a home was the main station of the underground railroad in Syracuse. After graduating from medical  school, Loguen  interned in Philadelphia and Boston, and practiced medicine in Washington, DC . In 1882, she boarded a ship  to the Dominican Republic,  and became  the first  woman doctor in  that country.

What do  the OASIS students think of Dr. Loguen?

"It's so hard to believe that she was able  to accomplish what she did at the time did," said OASIS member Mary Hueber. "What factors got her where she was? How much  was  drive and intellect, how much was luck?"

Hueber, one of 29 students in the OASIS class, is a trailblazing woman  in her own right. A member of the well-known family of builders,  Hueber spent her professional life working as a building-materials  supplier in the construction industry. For years,  she saw no other women  on the job.

Hueber  joined OASIS after retiring, "to get  out,  and to stay active  and intellectually stimulated."

What else connects Hueber to OASIS and Upstate Medical University?

"I had a kidney transplant at Upstate 35 years ago,  so I'm a longtime patient. I'm very lucky have Upstate.”