Hunter, Bush A. [Hunter Foundation in Lexington, KY]

Dr. Bush Hunter was born in Lexington, KY, the son of Mary B. and Dr. John E. Hunter, Sr. He was a graduate of Hampton Institute [now Hampton University], Oberlin College, and Howard Medical School [now Howard University College of Medicine], where he specialized in internal medicine. 

Dr. Hunter started his medical practice in Lexington in 1926, sharing an office with his father on Upper Street. He later practiced at the Public Health Clinic at Upper and Mechanic Streets in Lexington, retiring from medicine in 1976. 

Dr. Hunter was the first African American member of the Fayette County Medical Society [now the Lexington Medical Society], founded in 1799. He was named Kentucky's Outstanding General Practitioner of the Year and Kentucky's Selective Service Father of the Year in 1965 after serving as a medical adviser for the Selective Service System.

In addition to his medical practice, Bush Hunter was a tenor singer and piano player. He was a World War I veteran of the U.S. Army.

The Hunter Foundation for Health Care was a non-profit organization named to honor the 113 years of medical service in Lexington provided by Drs. John and Bush Hunter. The organization, founded in the early 1970s, was later renamed Healthcare of the Bluegrass.

For more information see J. Hewlett, "Physician Bush Hunter dies at 89," Lexington Herald-Leader, 12/2/1983, p. B1; and the Hunter Foundation for Health Care records, accession number 1997MS244, in the Special Collections Research Center, University of Kentucky Libraries.