Dr. George Hilliard
Tucked away at the end of Athletic Street is the Dr. George W. Hilliard Park. Athletic Street has long been home to many African American families in Beloit. The 1920 U.S. census listed George and Hattie Hilliard living at 1338 Athletic Ave, within the household was their 4-year-old son George.
A young George was involved in activities such as the Edgewater Flats Hi-Y, Boy Scouts and youth events at his church. George excelled in school, ranking in the top third of his class at Beloit High. He not only excelled in the classroom, he also starred on the football conference championship team his senior year.
George began his freshman year at Beloit College in the fall of 1932, majoring in chemistry. He was the consummate student-athlete who successfully mastered his studies, played football for the Beloit College Buccaneers and graduateD in four years. After graduating from Beloit College in 1936, George attended Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, where he received his medical degree in 1942.
Upon completing his surgical residency, many African Americans were hopeful that he would set up a practice in his hometown of Beloit, instead George moved to Milwaukee in 1951.
Dr. George Hilliard built a medical practice specializing in pulmonary surgery at 4th and North Ave, he also made house calls during the influenza epidemic that hit worldwide in the 1950’s. Dr. Hilliard later joined the staff at Mercy Hospital, one of the few hospitals in Milwaukee where African American doctors could practice.
Dr. George Washington Hilliard Jr. passed away on April 8, 1969. A Beloit College Bulletin obituary described him as “a prominent surgeon and Negro community leader.”
Beloit dedicated a park in his name on Labor Day in 1976, an honor many African Americans felt was well-deserved. The Dr. George W. Hilliard Memorial Park is located at 1443 Athletic Ave, a short walk from Dr. Hilliard’s childhood home. Mrs. Fannie Byrd, a long-time neighbor of the Hilliard family, was instrumental in the development of the George Hilliard Park in Beloit. She was so proud to witness the day this honor was bestowed on George, a resident from the Athletic Ave. community.
In the park dedication program, Dr. Hilliard was described as “an avid student of medicine, an excellent teacher within his own profession and a person with great understanding and love for his fellow man.”
