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PBS History Show Includes Doc Who Treated Plant City Blacks

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By JAN HOLLINGSWORTH | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 5, 2008

PLANT CITY - Radio host Tom Joyner may not be a household name, but the syndicated broadcaster packs enough star power to share the bill with the likes of Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock and Maya Angelou in a new PBS documentary that examines the roots of prominent black families.

The show airs Wednesday on WEDU, Channel 3.

The fact that Joyner's family is firmly rooted in Plant City may be of more than passing interest to history buffs who will hear the story of Joyner's grandfather, Oscar, a physician who treated the city's black residents for nearly a half-century. Oscar Joyner, who died in 1974, specialized in the treatment of tuberculosis.

Members of the East Hillsborough Historical Society helped the show's producers research the Plant City connection.

The documentary, "African American Lives 2," airs at 9 p.m. as part of the network's Black History Month offerings.

For information on the Joyner family and the program, go to www.pbs.org/wnet/aalives/.

Reporter Jan Hollingsworth can be reached at (813) 865-4436 or jhollingsworth@tampatrib.com.

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