calsfoundation@cals.org
December 29, 1981
A memorial service for Sam Kountz, who was born in Lexa (Phillips County), was held at the Downstate Medical Center in New York. Kountz overcame the disadvantages of being born black in the segregated Delta region of the state to become a highly successful renal surgeon and professor who was a pioneer in kidney transplantation. He was buried near his home in Great Neck, New York. A memorial service was also held at the Fine Arts Building at Arkansas AM&N College, from which Kountz had graduated after having ealier failed the entrance examination.