On Friday, May 24, 1968, Bruce Tucker celebrated the end of his work week at an egg-packing plant in Richmond by gathering with friends and sharing wine.<\/p>\n
But the camaraderie ended early when the 54-year-old African American fell off the wall on which he was sitting, suffered a serious head injury, was taken to Medical College of Virginia Hospital and admitted as a charity patient.<\/p>\n
A day later, the Dinwiddie County native was pronounced dead, and his heart and kidneys were harvested. His heart went to Joseph Klett, a 54-year-old white businessman from Orange County. The heart transplant was the 16th in the world, the ninth in the United States and the first to involve different races.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, younger brother William Tucker, who owned a shoe-repair shop near MCV, had learned of Bruces presence there through a friend. But when he sought information from the hospital, he received nothing that was helpful.<\/p>\n
Longtime Virginia journalist Chip Jones tells the tale in The Organ Thieves, an exploration of ambition and researchand the lingering ghost of Jim Crow.<\/p>\n
Despite police efforts, MCV was unable to locate Bruce Tuckers relatives. And the transplant took place sooner than the 24-hour waiting period required by Virginia law before the disposal of unclaimed bodies or for their use in research.<\/p>\n
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Book review: 'The Organ Thieves' recounts troubling tale of 1968 heart transplant - Fredericksburg.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On Friday, May 24, 1968, Bruce Tucker celebrated the end of his work week at an egg-packing plant in Richmond by gathering with friends and sharing wine. But the camaraderie ended early when the 54-year-old African American fell off the wall on which he was sitting, suffered a serious head injury, was taken to Medical College of Virginia Hospital and admitted as a charity patient. A day later, the Dinwiddie County native was pronounced dead, and his heart and kidneys were harvested. Continue reading