The Young Doctors.  Thirty-one Will Be Knoxville’s Grist this Year.  A Pleasant Reception to the Graduating Class Given last Night by Dr. C. M. Drake

A revelation is in store for the citizens of Knoxville, so far as regards the Tennessee medical college of this city.

Next Thursday night the college will give a grand banquet at the Lamar house, at which representative men of every profession, will be present.

They will find present on this occasion one hundred and fifty as bright and intelligent looking young men as ever assembled in this city.  If the representation of business men will be what is anticipated, there will be a large proportion of them actually astonished and surprised at the evidence before them that a strong, well equipped medical college has quietly grown up in their midst, containing pupils representing every state in the south.

Representative men of the city will be called on to respond to the toasts which will be highly edifying.  The banquet will, in every respect, be a representative one and a memorable one and, as before stated, a revelation to the city.

But in this connection reference is made to an affair that occurred last evening, which will live green in the memories of thirty-one graduates of this college forever.

Dr. C. M. Drake, one of the faculty, gave in [sic] informal reception to the class and members of the faculty last evening, at his rooms on Church street, that was elegant and thoroughly pleasant and appreciated.

A finer lot of young men would be hard to find anywhere, and today they increase the profession in the south by thirty-one.

Colored waiters in dress suits served a half dozen courses of the most delicious edibles that a noted chef could prepare.

Dr. W. C. Bailey, also of the faculty, acted as toast master in a way that was creditable to the profession, and while the young physicians were puffing delicious perfectos, Dr. Bailey paid some neat compliments to the host and then called on Dr. M. M. Stapler, of Florida, one of the class, who gave a toast expressing the sentiments of the class on the occasion and the nearing “goodbye.”

Dr. J. C. Cawood, dean, gave a very interesting toast on the future practice of the members of the class and kept up a roaring lot of fun throughout his talk.

He was followed by others and the hour of midnight was reached before any were aware the time had passed at all.

Source:  Knoxville Daily Journal and Tribune, March 12, 1892, page 8