Milwaukee doctor and community leader William Finlayson is turning 100. His family is including the public in the celebration.

Dr. William Finlayson has had many milestones in his life.

In his nearly four decades as an obstetrician and gynecologist, he has birthed nearly 10,000 babies. He was the first Black OB-GYN at what was then St. Joseph’s Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital.

In his time as a pioneering Black community leader in Milwaukee, Finlayson was instrumental in bringing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the city when it was besieged in racial protest over fair housing . When he too faced discrimination in purchasing a lot in an exclusively white neighborhood, Finlayson joined those marches, led by Alderwoman Vel Phillips and Father James Groppi . He even founded the city’s first Black-owned bank, North Milwaukee State Bank, in 1971.

A street between West Capitol Drive and West Walnut Street — formerly North 5th Street — bears his name in honor of his service to the city .

But Sunday marks another big milestone in Finlayson's illustrious life. He turns 100.

Finlayson’s family is hosting a “drive-by” birthday party from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday in front of his River Hills home, at 7320 N. Pheasant Lane. Friends, colleagues, former patients and the babies Finlayson helped usher into the world are invited to drive by to offer well wishes.

To make the birthday extra-special, the family wants Finlayson to get 100 birthday cards. So far, they’ve only received about 30.

Finlayson's daughter, Sheila, said her father is excited about the drive-by parade, even though it took him a while to grasp the concept. On runs to get the mail at the end of the driveway, Sheila said, her dad always asks where would he stand and how the cars would enter.

“He is getting excited more and more every day,” she said.

Drive-by parties emerged during the pandemic as large gatherings were discouraged and people became creative in finding ways to mark special occasions. With her father’s health in mind, Sheila wanted to keep him safe but at the same time let people acknowledge his birthday.

“He is very much loved by so, so many people and he’s fragile,” Sheila said. “I thought about a drive-by.”

People can pull up onto the long driveway and say hello. A tent will be erected to provide her father shade.

“Folks can simply drive by and wave to him, drop off a card," she said. "Everybody will get to celebrate his birthday, even if it is from afar."

Sheila said she's always amazed that her father is known no matter where he goes. As a Maryland resident, she said most people have no clue who delivered them, “but in Milwaukee, everybody knows Dr. Finlayson delivered them.”

“He is very proud of the fact he delivered so many people here and they recognize him,” she said. “And he absolutely loves coming in contact with his former patients. He loves hearing young people — well, not so young anymore — say, ‘Your name is on my birth certificate.’ That fills him up with pride.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee doctor and community leader William Finlayson is turning 100. His family is including the public in the celebration.