Dr. Joe Lex, author of All Bones Considered: 52 Laurel Hill Women

Tuesday, 2/17/26   6:30pm-8:00pm

Winsor Room, Radnor Memorial Library

In Partnership with Radnor Historical Society

Joe Lex is the author of All Bones Considered: 52 Laurel Hill Women - biographical sketches of 52 women of Laurel Hill East and Laurel Hill West. In his new book, Lex tells the amazing stories of more than 50 women whose final resting place is two cemeteries in Philadelphia.

Laurel Hill Cemetery was founded in 1836 as a nonsectarian alternative to Philadelphia’s crowded churchyards. While some of the women buried there are “hidden figures” such as mathematicians or engineers, some are political figures or chose medicine. Lex will talk about these women, among them civil rights activist C. Delores Tucker, Sadie T. M. Alexander who was the first Black woman in America to earn a PhD in economics and then attend law school. The city of Philadelphia is in the process of erecting a statue for Alexander that will be installed in Thomas Paine Plaza. Founding Mother Esther de Berdt Reed’s status in the colonies at the time of her death was second only to Martha Washington. Brought up in Haverford, Catherine Drinker Bowen is the author of the classic history of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Miracle at Philadelphia, a book that vividly details the debates, compromises, and personalities of the delegates who drafted the Constitution. 

Dr. Lex retired after 45 years in emergency medicine. His career began as a combat medic in Vietnam -later in life working as a registered nurse before starting medical school. He spent 14 years as an ER doctor, then 13 years teaching at Temple University where he retired as a professor. Because Joe missed research and teaching, he began volunteering as a tour guide at Laurel Hill Cemetery. In 2024, Joe adapted some podcast scripts into All Bones Considered: 52 Laurel Hill Women, highlighting remarkable women who shaped Philadelphia and the world. 

Hear more Laurel Hill stories by following this link: https://laurelhillphl.com/research/all-bones-considered/

Registration is not required. Books will be available for purchase.