Darbari, Ram (1885-1942)

New York, New York

Ram Darbari traveled to the United States from India on the ship Barbarossa, with a mission to pursue higher education and a career in medicine. He arrived in New York on April 28, 1907, with $18 in his possession.

Nashville, Tennesse

Ram Darbari attended Vanderbilt University in 1909, but transferred to the University Of Tennessee to pursue a medical degree. He graduated with the highest honors, and also received a gold medal for achieving the highest academic standard during his tenure at the university. Vanderbilt Medical School was established in 1895, but, before that, it had a contract with the University of Nashville to send medical students there. The University of Nashville and the University of Tennessee merged between the years 1909-1911. Due to what was, at the time, the recent establishment of the Vanderbilt Medical School, it may be that Ram Darbari went to the University of Tennessee because he wanted to attend an established and more renowned school.

Paterson General Hospital, New Jersey

After successfully passing the New Jersey State medical examinations in 1913, Ram Darbari began his medical career as an intern at Paterson General Hospital. Due to his apparent skills as a physician, he quickly became very popular among staff and patients. During his time there, Dr. Darbari met Frances Petry, another intern, who worked alongside him. They fell in love, but their relationship met with resistance from both families due to cultural differences. To pursue their love, they eloped to India. Not much information is available between this period and his return to America. On his return, he established his own private medical offices in South Paterson, New Jersey. He was married again, this time to Jeanette Pal, in 1923. On January 15, 1943, at his home at 32 Clark Street in Paterson, Ram Darbari died as a result of a heart condition that had been plaguing him for the preceding two years.He was 57 years old.