Dr. J.W. Sanford, Jr.

In his oral history interview, Dr. Sanford traces his upbringing from Ardmore to Oklahoma City, emphasizing the profound influence of his father’s leadership and the strong network of Black educators and professionals who shaped his early life. As an only child, he was raised in an environment that valued education, discipline, and service to the community.

Dr. Jaymie Sanford is a pioneering physician and community leader whose life and career reflect the intellectual rigor, civic responsibility, and cultural pride cultivated within Northeast Oklahoma City’s historic Black institutions. Born on September 24, 1930, in Ardmore, Sanford was raised in a family deeply rooted in education and leadership. His father, Johnson W. Sanford Sr., served as principal of Douglas High School in Ardmore and later as president of Langston University, where he became known for organizing Black educators and advancing statewide professional networks.

After relocating to Oklahoma City, Sanford was educated within the city’s segregated school system, attending Dunbar Grade School and graduating from Douglas High School (6th & High) in 1948. Immersed in a culture of academic excellence and racial pride, he was shaped by influential educators and community leaders who emphasized discipline, unity, and achievement.

Sanford went on to attend Howard University, where he pursued a career in medicine during a time when opportunities for Black physicians were limited but deeply impactful. Following his medical training and service as a captain in the United States Air Force, he returned to Oklahoma City in 1960 to establish his practice on the East Side. There, he joined a small but influential network of Black physicians who provided essential care to a segregated community while navigating systemic barriers within the healthcare system.

Throughout his career, Dr. Sanford embodied a commitment to both professional excellence and community advancement. From his early experiences in segregated education to his leadership in medicine, faith institutions, and civic organizations, his life reflects a broader legacy of resilience and progress within Oklahoma City’s Black community.

Korean War

Dr. Sanford served as a captain in the US Air Force during the Korean War and worked at a base hospital in Plattsburgh, New York.

Wartime segregation

While serving as a physician in New York, Sanford professionally handled a sergeant’s wife who refused to be treated by him due to prejudice. He was supported by his white colleagues, who sent the patient away for refusing care.

Neighborhood Integration

When building his family home in Cashion’s Wildwood in 1969, Dr. Sanford had a white lawyer purchase the lot to bypass restrictive practices. Despite the subsequent "white flight" of neighbors moving out as his home was being built, the Sanford family remained in the home for decades.

320 NE 2nd Street

The building address of Dr. Sanford’s first medical practice, which opened in the early 1960s.

Fairview Baptist Church

The church where Dr. Sanford was baptized and later served as a trustee.

Eastside YMCA

Where Dr. Sanford served on the board of management and was involved in building the new facility off of Martin Luther King Blvd.

1917 Northeast 25th Street

The Sanford family home for several years.

University Hospital on 13th Street

Now the OU Health Sciences Center, a formerly segregated hospital containing a wing for Black patients established by Dr. Sanford Senior and Robert S. Kerr.

• Established a practice specializing in general surgery in a building formerly owned by Dr. Charles B. Brooks, choosing to practice in the heart of the Black community of OKC.
• He was among the first Black physicians to receive staff privileges at Baptist Hospital (now Integris Baptist) in 1960, a time when medical facilities were beginning to integrate. While he was also on the staff of Edwards Memorial Hospital, he primarily hospitalized his surgical patients at Baptist.
• He was invited into Sigma Pi Phi (The Boulé) by the legendary educator F.D. Moon after beginning his medical practice in the city.