On the Record shares the journey of a pioneering mental health professional who became the first African American woman to head a major mental hospital in America. Dr. Curry covers personal details of her youth, of her sixty-three-year marriage, and of motherhood. She acknowledges the support of family, colleagues, and friends as she advanced from post to post. The majority of the work reports the day-to-day duties and responsibilities that Dr. Curry assumed and the staffs that she presided over as a professional in her field.