Walter C. Reynolds, M.D. (1920-2020), is often referred to as the first African American graduate of the University of Oregon Medical School (later OHSU), but in this interview from 2006, the lasting impression is of a family practice doctor focused on compassionate care, community connections, and cultural competence. Reynolds covers his early days growing up in racially segregated Portland, OR; his schooling at the University of Oregon and UOMS, along with his love of basketball; his time serving in the United States Armed Forces; and his work as a family medicine practitioner and teacher. Throughout the interview, Reynolds returns time and again to his core ethic of cultural competence and the great need to both practice it and instill it in others.