In the early 1990’s a district committee, led by the administration under Dr. Ashburn, found that the Bryan/College Station community had a strong need for health care professionals. The district responded to that need with the opening of, then named, Hammond-Oliver High School for Human Sciences in 1993. The program set out to “assist students in becoming productive citizens by providing opportunities to explore careers, develop leadership, promote service and strive for excellence through cooperative, diverse classroom and community experiences” The Academy was named for two pioneer doctors in the local community, Dr. William A Hammond and Dr. William Hold Oliver.
Dr. Hammond came to the Bryan/College Station area in 1916 after graduating from Texas A&M Prairie View. Hammond was a leading African American physician responsible for opening the Brazos Valley’s first African American clinic and nursing school in 1929. The hospital, Hammond Memorial Hospital, treated patients through the 1950’s. Dr. Hammond died in 1973.
Dr. Oliver began practicing medicine in the Bryan/College Station area before World War I. He opened the area’s first hospital, Bryan Hospital, between 1921 and 1925. After his death in 1935, the hospital was eventually bought by the Sisters of St. Francis and renamed St. Joseph’s Hospital, which is still serves the entire Brazos Valley area.
Dr. Oliver is also known for owning a valuable estate in the historic district of Bryan. His former home, where his family still resides, is registered with the National Register of Historic Places.