Dr. Dwight McKenna

Surgeon and museum founder Dr. Dwight McKenna was born on December 15, 1941, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Leah and George McKenna. He graduated from St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, earned his B.S. degree from the University of New Orleans in 1962, and received his M.D. degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1966. McKenna completed his internship at the University of Missouri–Kansas City General Hospital and his residency in surgery at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

In 1968, McKenna was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as a surgeon until his retirement in 1973 with the rank of major. Returning to New Orleans, he established a private medical practice and worked as a surgical contractor for Flint-Goodrich Hospital and later for St. Claude General Hospital (United Medical Center). A leader in both medicine and civic life, McKenna first ran for the office of Orleans Parish Coroner in 2010 and was elected to the position in 2018. Beyond medicine, McKenna and his wife, Beverly McKenna, have made significant contributions to preserving African American history and culture. In 1985, they relaunched The New Orleans Tribune, the city’s historic African American newspaper, under McKenna Publishing Company, alongside Kermit Thomas and James Borders. In 2007, they founded the George and Leah McKenna Museum of African American Art, named in honor of his parents. A year later, they opened Le Musée de F.P.C., dedicated to preserving the stories of free people of color prior to the Civil War.

McKenna also served on the board of directors of First Federal Savings Bank of New Orleans beginning in 1987, and in 1988, he was elected president of the Orleans Parish School Board, serving until 1992.

Throughout his career, McKenna has been recognized for his leadership and community impact, receiving numerous honors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the SCLA Memorial Program in 2015.

McKenna and his wife, Beverly McKenna, reside in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Dr. Dwight McKenna was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on December 13, 2023.