Historical November 1989 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Among the wide variety of patrons at the St. Louis Public Library Kiosk is Malcolm Lloyd whose job as a paramedic with the City of St. Louis Emergency Service is a challenging and dangerous one.
At six feet, four inches, he is a familiar figure since he has been living across the street from the Kiosk. Malcolm started out as a medic in Vietnam.
He found such meaning in the work that he chose to continue it when he returned to St. Louis.
He attended the Paramedic School at St. Louis University Medical School, the first black at the school, and he graduated the highest in his class.
He first worked at Homer G. Phillips Hospital before it closed and currently works out of the new Max Starkloff clinic on the south side. Carrying the title of crew chief, Malcolm says that he and his partner must and do work well together, which is important when dealing daily with life and death situations.
They never know what to expect when they are called out on an emergency.
They could be facing a half-starved child who has been abandoned or starting an I.V., administering cardiac drugs and running a fibulator (EKG), or inserting trachea tubes to help breathing. Of the many sad things he has seen, one of the worst was the death of a young man who was shot last summer at the VP fair.
There is danger in his work as well.
The team does have vehicular accidents, even with the siren on, because people will not stop for them. Malcolm works with life support systems frequently and received the Phoenix Award from Mayor Schoemehl for resuscitating a person who was clinically dead. Regularly he must take refresher courses and board exams.
When Malcolm is stressed out, he reads the Bible or commentaries on the Bible and listens to tapes of gospel music which he orders from the Kiosk.
As a long-time patron in very good standing, we salute his dedication and example of good citizenship to us all.
Original photograph caption
Malcolm Lloyd. Photo by King Schoenfeld. The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, November1989, page6.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, November 1989.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: Printed byline reads Mary Ann Shickman; OCR Schickman corrected from page image. Historical claim first Black student at paramedic school and medical terminology are the original profile’s statements, not independently verified.
Original source: SD_Times1989_11.pdf, printed page(s) 6; PDF page(s) 7.
