Gladden was born Oct. 29, 1911 in Charlotte, N.C. He first entered college at Long Island University, and earned a medical degree from Meharry Medical College. Studying his field at Howard University, he became the first orthopedic resident at the institution.
The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery certified Gladden in 1949, and in 1951, he became the first African-American to be elected a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Adding to these achievements, Dr. Gladden was the first non-white physician to perform surgery in King George’s Hospital in Bermuda.