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22-EASTVIEW
11-CHURCH
7-GREENHOUSE
A-REST COTTAGE 12-TUPPER HALL
HALL 8-50UTHLAWN
5-MAINTENANCE 13- KNOLLWOOD
OD HALL BUILDING 9-MAIN HOSPITAL
6-OAK LAWN K-SHADY NOOK
I0-PAUL50N HALL
15-HILL5IDE
16-HILLCREST
17-KIMBALL
18-THE INN
19-HIGHLAND HALL
20-SUNRlSE
21-MOLINE COTTAGE
23-PARKVIEW
HINSDALE SANITARIUM AND HOSPITAL
1904 — 1957
HINSDALE
Sanitarium and Hospital
1 904 TO 1957
COMPILE D
AS A CONTRIBUTION
TO THE HOSPITAL
by Hugh G. Dugan
TO THOSE WHO SPARE
NOT THEMSELVES THAT
OTHERS MAY LIVE.
Foreword
In America great respect prevails for those who
raise themselves up from meagre beginnings and inauspicious
surroundings to become of some exceptional service to man-
kind. But there is also respect and admiration for those who,
after having achieved success in their own right, reach out
to help others along the way; and often the latter gesture, in
its practical effect, is as much or more productive of accom-
plishment than the former. How fortunate it is when an in-
stitution is blessed with both kinds of stones in its foundation.
According to statistics sent to the American Hospital Asso-
ciation, covering the year 1953, the Hinsdale Sanitarium and
Hospital admitted 6,310 patients for general, short-term hos-
pital care, the average daily adult patient census being 158,
and had a bed capacity of 193. The total births were 1,099
or an average of three daily. The institution is shown as
having a state-approved professional nursing school, and total
paid personnel numbering 357.
The American Hospital Association's Joint Commission
on Accreditation of Hospitals lists the institution among
those that are FULLY ACCREDITED, which means that it
is meeting all of the Commission's established standards as
to treatment and care, management, equipment, supplies,
personnel, and medical and nursing procedures.
To have reached its present stature from nothing but an
idea in a little more than 50 years, while surmounting the
troubles and anxieties that inevitably beset most organiza-
tions whose purposes are exclusively humanitarian, there
must have been some unusual sources of strength. No en-
deavor can grow with such assurance and mounting success
as that demonstrated by the "San," as it is affectionately
known to all Hinsdaleans, without foresight, administrative
wisdom, cooperative devotion to duty, and a deserved com-
munity of interest.
On that premise let us review the beginnings, the growth,
and the present-day services of this modern hospital.
H. G. D.
Contents
Struggle and Hope .... 9
Under Way --.--- 14
In Stride -..--- 32
The Path Ascends - - - - - 57
Postscripts ------ 87
Personnel - - - - - - 89
Index ..---- 93
vu
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The following persons made substantial contributions
toward the compilation of this book:
Mrs. Corina M. Collier, for the art work-
Mrs. Caroline Louise Clough, for permission to use infor-
mation from His Name Was David, her excellent biography
of Dr. David Paulson, and for certain other notes she furn-
ished from among her records.
Mr. A. C. Larson, Mr. Olof Moline, and especially Mr.
A. W. Vandeman, of the hospital staff who made various
records and information available.
The Merrill Printing Company, publisher of the Hins-
dale Doings.
Mrs. L. H. Whitehead, for reviewing back issues of the
Doings, for typing, and for indexing.
Miss Naidene Goy, for a final check of the composition.
Mrs. Virginia Pelton, for typing.
Struggle and Hope
The origin and early years of the Hinsdale Sani-
tarium were so closely associated with the life of David Paul-
son, that a brief review of the first four decades of that excep-
tional life is an essential preliminary to a complete story of
the institution. To the extent that institutions are the pro-
ducts of personalities, the sanitarium originated most un-
mistakably from the vision and the capabilities of this
remarkable individual.
He was born at Raymond, Wisconsin, in 1863, and while
he was quite young his parents moved their large family to
a small farm in South Dakota, near Beresford. Existence was
rugged in the Dakotas during the 1870's. Pleasures were few
and simple; work was hard. The mother died a few years
after their arrival there, and when David was fifteen he was
stricken with diphtheria. It was a severe case. Two of the
children had died of the same malady, and then another
brother. While in semidelirium, David overheard his father
say,
"David will be next. He can't last long. I think we had
better wait and bury both boys at once."
While his life hung in the balance David prayed most
fervently, promising the Lord:
"I will give you everything — all my life — if you'll let
me live."
He vowed to God that, if spared, he would devote the
remainder of his life to the service of humanity, to the sick
and the needy.
(9)
10 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
Undoubtedly, that experience was a significant milestone
in David Paulson's life, for it surely did portend accurately
the course of his life; and it imbued his young and impres-
sionable mind with the power of the spirit, as released
through prayer. It was among his first lessons in learning
what to pray for, and what not to pray for. On many occasions
during subsequent years his pleas to heaven for help in behalf
of the sick and the indigent were answered in ways that are
most impressive.
One day David went over to Mitchell, South Dakota, to
hear a talk by a Mr. Prescott, then president of the Battle
Creek College in Michigan. He returned home determined
to attend that college.
After the passing of his father, an older brother helped
David enter Battle Creek in 1888, where he took a premedical
course, working part time to pay his way. After graduating
from there, his medical courses were pursued at the Universi-
ty of Michigan, and completed at Bellevue College in New
York. He joined the staff of the Battle Creek Sanitarium as
a physician in 1894.
Dr. John H. Kellogg, a well-known surgeon, author, and
promoter of healthful living, was Medical Director at Battle
Creek Sanitarium, and he became interested in the career
of Dr. Paulson. Dr. Kellogg's interests were not confined to
the institution he managed; he also wanted to establish a
medical mission among the poor in the city of Chicago, this
to be an extension and enlargement of similar endeavors that
had been undertaken in Battle Creek. The Chicago mission
was launched in 1893, next door to and in collaboration with
the Pacific Garden Mission, then on Van Buren Street.
Dr. Kellogg's mission was known as the Life Boat Mission.
Later, its quarters were moved to 472 South State Street, next
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 11
door to the Homestake Lunch Room that was advertising
"three hot cakes, including coffee, butter, and roll, for 10
cents"; and in that era many pan-handlers were on the streets
begging that sum of money. A member of the Mission has left
this description of one phase of their routine work:
"Every Sunday tliroughout the year a group of our workers
visited the South Clark Street Police Station. After a special prayer
in an upper room, we went first to the corridor where the dis-
orderly and the drunks were confined, and there we began to sing
songs and hymns. Many a time I have seen noisy, half dazed men
who, crazed with their drinking and carousing of the night before;
having no respect for God or eternal things, would ridicule our
singing and try to break up the meeting. I have seen such men
calm down . . . and usually, at the close of the meeting, they
would raise their hands in prayer. We believe that many went
out from those cells with a genuine determination to make their
lives worth while."
The mission's work among the disabled, the criminal, and
the destitute of the near south side was commended highly
by the churches and all good citizens. Its accomplishments,
in both practical assistance and permanent conversions to
righteous living, were many. There were Tom Mackey, Dick
Lane, Samuel Coombs, among various others who were, in
many instances, literally picked up off the curb, and who
later became useful members of society. The mission was
incorporated in 1904.
Dr. Paulson likewise was interested in medical missionary
work; so much so that he felt its call was more tirgent than
his duties at Battle Creek, and this decision proved to be a
main turning point in his career. Medical missionary work,
in order to be done efficiently and effectively required a
trained personnel; in this it was no different from other lines
of endeavor. Also, it must be remembered that in those days
there were not so many charitable organizations, and those
12 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
that did exist were not so well organized nor so influential
as they are today. (They also, however, were in need of
trained workers) . So, with Dr. Kellogg's cooperation. Dr.
Paulson moved to Chicago to organize a pioneering institu-
tion to be known as the American Medical Missionary
College.
It was in the year 1895, with Dr. Kellogg's assistance, and
with strength reinforced by prayer, that Dr. Paulson estab-
lished the American Medical Missionary College in a build-
ing that had formerly been a watch factory, at 1926 South
Wabash Avenue. It was the purpose of this school to produce
medically trained missionaries to circulate among the slums,
to administer medical service and moral support. The stu-
dents lived and attended classes in the same building, and
worked while they learned. They visited families in need
and assisted in the clinics in minor surgery, and maternity
cases. In that neighborhood it was not safe to be on the streets
at night, but the work went on. Some of the graduates of
the American Medical Missionary College are still serving,
in this and other lands.
The reputation of that pioneering school spread, and
finally, in 1910, a larger, better equipped institution, to serve
the same purpose, was built in California, under similar
auspices. It is known as the College of Medical Evangelists,
and its auditorium in Los Angeles is named Dr. Paulson
Memorial Hall.
In 1896 Dr. Paulson and Mary Wild were married. She
too had been a medical student in Michigan. She graduated
from the Northwestern University Medical School in Evan-
ston, Illinois, in the year of their marriage, and from that
time on the two Doctor Paulsons worked and achieved to-
gether in their various undertakings. Together they served
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hiospital IS
at the medical mission, at the missionary college, in the allied
work of rehabilitating wayward girls; the ill and the destitute.
The Life Boat magazine, promoted by Dr. Kellogg in the
interest of all of these endeavors, was to be edited and man-
aged by the Paulsons. Later they managed a branch of the
Battle Creek Sanitarium on the south side of Chicago, and
eventually they were to launch the sanitarium at Hinsdale.
At each step in his various pursuits Dr. Paulson was faced
by the problem of finding money and other forms of aid to
carry on the work. Time after time the required assistance
was found through prayer. In fact, the sequence of cause and
effect in this regard was so obvious and so undeniable that
the word "miracle" has been used in describing the timeliness
of certain donations to his work that were received from
strange or unexpected sources within days, or hours, after
the doctor had prayed for them. In his contact with the slums,
and during his teaching and lecturing, physical healing was
always joined with spiritual healing and trust in God, a policy
that produced many "a gem from Chicago's gutters," and ul-
timately brought great expansion of his worthy endeavors
to all classes of society.
Thus far Dr. Paulson had kept the promise to God which
he had made in that hour of trial out on the western plains.
He had faced the challenge, conquered many an obstacle, and
had surmounted several worthy preliminary steps to greater
achievement.
In 1903 Dr. Paulson went to Europe to take part in certain
conferences, and to observe European methods, pertaining
to his work. During the trip home to America, Dr. Paulson
pondered the idea of a sanitarium in the country; and it was
not long before he determined to carry it through.
Under Way
Mr. C. B. Kimbell, a prominent Chicago business-
man who resided in Hinsdale, seventeen miles west of Chi-
cago, a Civil War veteran who had been severely wounded at
the battle of Shiloh, had been stopping in for treatments at
the south side Chicago branch of the Battle Creek Sanitarium.
During those visits he became well acquainted with Dr. Paul-
son and the two had frequent discussions about health and
treatment; the doctor's ideas and philosophies found a ready
and sympathetic listener in his new friend.
When he became aware of Dr. Paulson's ambition to start
a sanitarium of his own, somewhere out in the country, Mr.
Kimbell immediately thought of his own home neighbor-
hood and suggested it as being an ideal location for such an
institution. The suggestion found ready response; Dr. Paul-
son was interested and eager. Yet, he knew of Hinsdale's re-
putation of being a wealthy community. He questioned
whether a sanitarium would be wanted there, and also,
whether, amid prosperous surroundings, he could continue
to administer to the needs of the indigent. Mr. Kimbell did
not share those doubts. He felt that a first-class sanitarium
was needed and wanted by the people of Hinsdale, and those
of the neighboring suburbs, and that an institution having
prosperous patients among its clientele would be in better
position to care for the indigent patients than one having no
well-to-do patients.
The discussions continued, and one day Mr. Kimbell
(14)
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 15
made the diplomatic move of offering, on the easiest of terms,
one of several small dwellings he ouTied in West Hinsdale
to be used as a rest home, as a branch of the Life Boat Rest
for Girls, whose South Clark Street quarters were then be-
coming inadequate. If there were any superciliousness in
Hinsdale, surely this would smoke it out. When the branch
rest home was set up, it met with no objections; in fact, a few
years afterward it was to be replaced by larger quarters, in
the eastern part of the village.
In the autumn of 1903 the Paulsons made a trip to Hins-
dale to give serious consideration to a piece of property which
Mr. Kimbell previously had pointed out to them, and which
he thous^ht would be ideal as a site for a sanitarium. It con-
sisted of ten acres in the Highlands, on the north side of the
railroad, comprising the abandoned country estate of C. G.
Beckwith, a former judge of Chicago; the plot was an elegant
place in its day, having a fifteen room main dwelling, another
of nine rooms, various out buildings, and a large pond at
the rear of the property, formed by the impounded waters
of Fla^sf Creek. Well matured elms and oaks reflected the
former dignity of the estate, and neglected grape vines still
asserted their prerogatives among the tall weeds. Additional
acreage was available across the road to the east, if the sani-
tarium should need room to expand. Dr. Paulson looked
around. He envisioned in this place the ultimate fulfillment
of his dreams.
The property was so ideally suited that only one question
remained, that of financing its purchase and its transmutation
into a sanitarium. Nearly all of the buildings could be used,
but they would require extensive alterations, and the Paul-
sons wondered how they could pay for it all. Dr. Paulson
adhered to his prayers. In such predicaments he would "ring
16 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
up Central" as he expressed it, and the "Central" in heaven
never failed to answer. Mr. Kimbell had a plan; first, he had
already purchased the property in anticipation of their want-
ing it; second, its acquisition from him could be arranged on
terms more reasonable than they could have been obtained
through the usual channels. The price would be exceptional-
ly low, installments would be extended over a long period,
and there would be no interest to pay.
Pending completion of the work, the property could be
deeded to the American Medical Missionary College, and
later the deed could be transferred to a legal entity to be
known as the Hinsdale Sanitarium and Benevolent Associa-
tion. In due course each of those steps was taken under the
direction of a board of trustees.
Hinsdale at that time was becoming an important suburb.
The village represented one of those experiments in sub-
urban living for city businessmen that came into vogue after
the railroads were built, and the experiment proved success-
ful.
The village site had been selected on the first rolling land
west of the city half a mile south of the pioneer hamlet of
Fullersburg. Streets had been laid out with care; the homes
were substantial; gardens and landscaping were in evidence.
The population in 1904 was about 3,000. A mile to the north,
a picturesque stream flowed gently by, and open country
was readily available for any kind of an outing. The Hinsdale
community was clean, peaceful, and inviting. It was a grow-
ing community, and there were no hospital facilities within
many miles. Those requiring them went to the city.
The decision to proceed with the undertaking resulted in
the Paulsons' leaving their occupations and moving to Hins-
dale to supervise the work personally. They set up housekeep-
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
17
''({'.!
m^^*^
THE BECKWITH HOUSE
18 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
ing in one of the buildings on the property and soon were
joined by others of their former employees who formed the
nucleus of a working force. These were Mrs. Caroline L.
Clough, a sister of Dr. Mary Paulson, Mr. Clyde Lowry, and
Mr. and Mrs. N. W. Paulson. Shortly, a young girl from Mil-
waukee, Anna Pedersen, would join them as cook. Local
workmen arrived, and the preliminary weed cutting, clean-
ing, and repairing got under way.
The first major tasks were to consist of moving the main
dwelling a hundred feet to the north, onto a new foundation,
to make space for an addition or "annex"; converting the
two-story brick carriage and chicken house into a dormitory,
kitchen, and dining room for the workers, and making all of
the rooms habitable. Furnishings and, at least, temporary
heat were needed as well as equipment for treating the pa-
tients. All these objectives were accomplished during the first
eight months of 1904.
The Hinsdale Sanitarium and Benevolent Association was
organized in October, and on November first, the articles of
incorporation were filed at Springfield, listing these persons
as its Board of Trustees:
C. B. Kimbell E. B. Van Dorn
Lewis H. Christian F. J. Otis
N. W. Paulson Jay W. Cummings
W. S. Sadler Horace E. Hoyt
David Paulson M. A. Winchell
Mary W. Paulson John H. Kellogg
The Board held its first meeting a few days later, in Chi-
cago, to adopt by-laws and to elect officers of the Benevolent
Association.
Essentially, those first bylaws provided this declaration of
principles and purposes:
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 19
(a) A Christian, but non-sectarian, philanthropic, charit-
able, and benevolent Association.
(b) The purpose of the training school for nurses to be
that of preparing young men and women for medical mis-
sionary work.
(c) The earnings and other income of the Association
to be used exclusively in the conduct and promotion of its
work, and not for the private gain or personal profit of any
person whomsoever.
The constituency of the Association was described, where-
upon the by laws followed customary form in describing the
various offices, outlining their duties and provisions for
amendment.
Elected as officers of the Association were: C. B. Kimbell,
president; H. E. Hoyt, secretary and treasurer; Dr. David
Paulson, medical superintendent, who was to have general
charge of the sanitarium. Dr. Mary Paulson, steward.
In anticipation of future needs, a special meeting of the
board was held for the purpose of authorizing the borrowing
of $60,000 for the use of the Association and to pledge the
property and effects as security. This was the first of several
loans and bond issues to be negotiated in order to carry the
work forward. \Vise moves they proved to be.
Meantime, work on the sanitarium buildings was pro-
ceeding, and the weekly issues of the Hinsdale Doings were
giving a running account of its progress. The issue of No-
vember 26, 1904 said:
"Lively activity has been in evidence on the Sanitarium
grounds during the last ten days. Excavation for the Annex has
been completed. The house mover is raising the old building
preparatory to moving it. . . . The brick carriage house and barn
is being remodelled into a modern twelve room dormitory."
20 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
December 31, 1904:
"The weather has hindered operations, but they are now pro-
gressing well.
"C. B. Kimbell has acquired title to the beautiful tract of land
at Highlands known as the Reed place. He will use it in the
interest of the Sanitarium, . . . More than half a dozen [such
additional] lots have been obtained."
The old Reed dwelling referred to was one of a small
number of fine houses that had been erected at Highlands
soon after 1870. At the time it was acquired the house had
been in disuse, and contained no modern facilities, but the
Sanitarium needed the building for its indigent patients. In
that capacity it was to be called the Good Samaritan Inn, and
eventually it was to be equipped with gas, electric lights, and
modern plumbing.
On February 18, 1905, the Hinsdale Sanitarium received
a heavy blow. News came of the death of Mr. Kimbell. The
loss was a severe one to this budding enterprise, and the local
paper carried a long account of his life and accomplishments.
A special meeting of the Board was called to pass a resolution
of condolence. At a subsequent meeting Dr. David Paulson
was elected president, and the work went on.
May 27, 1905:
"Although the Sanitarium [the first new building] is not
entirely completed, the managers are overwhelmed with applica-
tions from patients."
On June 6 the first patient arrived, before the rooms were
finished, and as soon as the building was completed it was
nearly two-thirds filled. Mrs. C. L, Clough describes the arri-
val of a patient in the new annex building:
"... a bed patient arrived ... all the way from Michigan.
By this time the roof was on and the group of rooms was ready
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 21
on the second floor . . . but the stairs were unfinished.
"In the old part of the building there was a dumb waiter
that had evidently been used to carry furniture, trunks, and so
forth, up and down. It was large enough to put a patient in it,
stretcher and all. The boys pulled it up with a rope. So the patient
rode to her room in style. . . . That young woman, invalided for
years, soon went home cured and later became a physical culture
teacher."
With summer approaching, no heat had been provided
for the larger buildings, but a contract soon was let for a
heating plant that would supply present and future require-
ments, insofar as they could be predicted. One building pro-
ject after another, dictated entirely by demand, was the order
of the day, so the predictions soon were encompassing another
main addition to the central building. An architect named
Van Osdell had ideas on the subject, and he was a frequent
visitor at board meetings, where consideration was also being
given to organization of a training school for nurses. It too
would need housing.
Duties at the Sanitarium did not prevent Dr. Paulson from
continuing his lecture engagements. An announcement of his
appearance at a Chautauqua held in Rockford said, "His
mind, heart, and soul are on fire with the subject matter of his
lectures, and he has the happy faculty of imparting to his
hearers the interest and enthusiasm with which he is filled."
On Wednesday, September 20, 1905, the institution was
dedicated. According to the Doings:
"A more beautiful day never dawned than that of September
20 — the white building looked attractively gay in its drapings of
red, white and blue which were carried around the broad piazzas
above and below, while the porch rail was outlined with rows
of gladiolus. The broad steps were built up into a speaker's plat-
form, and even the cellar windows had bankings of beautiful
flowers. The porch accommodated the speakers, the orchestra.
22 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
nurses, and groups of visitors. . . . Chairs and benches on the lawn
accommodated the largest audience ever seen in Hinsdale. The
Reverend Smith invoked divine blessing and Mr. Frank Webster
sang 'The Promise of Life' . . ."
Honorable R. A. Childs, as chairman, spoke briefly and
introduced the other speakers, among whom were Judge
Orrin N. Carter of Battle Creek and Chicago, and Dr. J. H.
Kellogg, whose talk was on "The Sanitarium Idea." His talk
was very interesting and made an excellent impression — .
Dr. Pearsons, owing to his wife's illness, was not able to be
present, but he sent a message endorsing Dr. Kellogg's
methods and commending the new Sanitarium. — Dr. Hart
of the Children's Aid Society spoke of the unity of purpose
of all humanitarian organizations and of the propriety of
giving them hearty endorsement and support — . There fol-
lowed talks by Dr. Thomas, formerly of Hinsdale, Hon.
Alonzo E. Wilson of Wheaton, and Dr. Haskell of Hinsdale.
The final address was Dr. David Paulson's. He reviewed
the origin, purposes, and aspirations of the new institution.
He referred to the friendly spirit existing between the Sani-
tarium and the community and pledged his organization to
its continuance.
Soon all rooms were filled. One patient at Darjeeling,
India, and another at Rome, Italy, had applied for admit-
tance. The unexpected patronage led the board of trustees
to consider extraordinary measures of increasing the build-
ings' capacity, such as elevating the roof of one of the build-
ings in order to add another floor, but patience won out and
it was decided to await completion of the third main building
unit; all of them to be joined into one large structure. As the
months passed it became necessary to enlarge the office space
also, and the heating plant required a separate building.
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 23
At the Congregational Church in Hinsdale Dr. Paulson
gave a lecture in which he derided the use of tobacco, liquor,
and patent medicine. The doctor said that:
"... while beer contained 4 per cent alcohol, Peruna [a
patent medicine] contained 24 per cent," and that "while Mrs.
Lydia Pinkham [manufacturer of a vegetable compound] is ad-
vertising advice to anyone who will write for it, a tombstone in
an Eastern cemetery proclaims that Lydia Pinkham has been at
rest for over thirty years."
Christmas, 1905, at the Sanitarium was a home-like affair.
In the evening the patients and workers gathered in the par-
lor and listened to an appropriate program of music and
pleasantries.
The training school for nurses was progressing. By April,
1906, the first class, of six pupils, had completed a year of
study. Evidence of the school's high standards was found in
its registry with the New York State Board of Regents, which
was the highest endorsement obtainable at that time. The
students were following precedent in doing medical mission-
ary work in the Chicago slums, as part of their training.
Eventually, full-time teachers were to be employed for the
nurses' school, to relieve Doctors Sadler and Mary Paulson of
the teaching duty.
The Doings issue of June 16, 1906, announced completion
of the most recent main addition. It said also that "the greater
part of the rooms are already occupied by patients." A gym-
nasium had been equipped in one room, and physical exer-
cises were held each day. "Thursday evening a free lecture was
given in the sanitarium gymnasium by George H. Allen, the
world's champion long distance walker, of England. His
record was a walk of one thousand miles in eighteen days."
By now the Board of Trustees had designated one of its
24 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
meetings as the annual meeting, to which all constituent
members of the Hinsdale Sanitarium and Benevolent Asso-
ciation were invited. The annual meeting, held November
15, 1906, heard a lecture by Dr. Paulson, a financial report,
a review of progress of the nurses' school, and the reading of
papers on certain subjects relating to the conduct of the
sanitarium.
The year 1907 brought hard times to the nation, and
several requests to the Hinsdale Sanitarium for repayment of
borrowed money. It was a year in which more of Dr. Paul-
son's time than usual had to be spent on the ever present
question of loans, to be made and to be repaid.
Among other signs of growth were the need of finding
another doctor, and a medical assistant, the purchase of a
water filter, an improved procedure of care for the patients
who could not pay, the need of a part-time surgeon, erection
of a few cottages on the property for patients and others; a
retaining wall on one side of the main building, a cistern dug,
and the question of adjustment in salaries.
On motion of Trustee Sadler, it was unanimously voted
that Dr. Mary Paulson be paid a salary of $75 per month, and
Dr. Mary Paulson stated to the Board that she would not
accept the $75 per month, being perfectly satisfied with the
foiTner salary of $65 per month. Dr. David Paulson was then
accepting a salary of $40 per week. Nurses were paid 15 cents
and 17 cents an hour.
The erection of new buildings was far from ended. In
1908 the board had plans for a nurses' dormitory, a new Life
Boat Rescue Home, and another addition to the sanitarium
proper. Many years Avere to pass before the dormitory was
to be realized, but the addition and the Home were not far
off.
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 25
The treasurer's financial statement presented at the No-
vember, 1908 annual meeting showed income for the year as
§47,315, disbursements, $47,676, and a net worth of $8,244.
Money for new buildings was not always obtained by con-
ventional methods. Mrs. Caroline L. Clough, who was a mem-
ber of the Board, tells of this incident: an elderly Wisconsin
woman had given the Sanitarium a few hundred dollars at
one time, and when funds were needed to complete the sec-
ond addition to the main building it occurred to Mr. Hoyt,
the treasurer, that a visit to the lady in Wisconsin might bring
forth another donation. When he arrived at the house the
former donor came to the door, but would not admit him for
the reason that her husband was drunk. She did not want to
be embarrassed by his presence. Mr. Hoyt made a quick
appraisal of the situation, argued his way into the house, and,
within a few minutes, he and the husband were kneeling in
prayer for the latter's salvation. Such attempts at conversion
do not always succeed, but this one did. The meeting and
the prayers resulted in his abandonment of hard drinking
to the amazement and joy of both him and his wife.
Nothing more was heard from those people for some time,
but eventually a brother of the reformed husband, living in
the East, died, leaving him over $50,000. This sum was im-
mediately willed to the Sanitarium; and within a few years
the legator and his wife passed away.
Around Hinsdale there have been many anecdotes con-
cerning the eccentricities of D. K. Pearsons, the wealthy phi-
lanthropist who lived on North Grant Street in the village
until his death in 1910. He gave millions to various educa-
tional institutions, so naturally he became a target of David
Paulson's campaigns for funds for the Hinsdale Sanitarium.
Mr. Pearsons was generous, but rarely did he seek advice in
his choice of benefactors.
26 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
Mrs. Clough tells how the Sanitarium was in a tight spot
during erection of a new building, when $10,000 was due
one of the contractors on a certain date, and the money was
not available. Dr. Paulson walked over to the Pearsons' home
and tried to convince the old gentleman of the worthiness of
a donation of only five thousand dollars. If he could get that
sum, it would relieve the tension for a time. Mr. Pearsons
gave him a check in the amount requested, as a loan.
As the other $5,000 became due, another request was
made of Mr. Pearsons. "The trouble with you, Paulson," said
Mr. Pearsons, "is you keep the sanitarium too warm. If you
didn't waste so much on coal, you would have money to build
without borrowing." After further discussion the second
$5,000 was obtained, with the understanding that the entire
$10,000 would be repaid by a certain date. Two weeks be-
fore that date arrived, the lender inquired about his loan.
Dr. Paulson admitted, with a smile, that he didn't have it,
and that he hoped Mr. Pearsons would extend the time. A
few days later a woman Dr. Paulson had never seen donated
exactly $5,000 to the Hinsdale Sanitarium. This windfall
was handed to Mr. Pearsons, much to his surprise, and Pear-
sons responded with the following information:
"I've been down to the bank and told them that you were
nice people and that they should do business with you folks here
on the hill. They said they would, and promised to let you have
five thousand dollars now."
A most noteworthy event of the year 1908 was graduation
of the first class from the Nurses Training School. The mem-
bers of this class were: Pearl W. Howard, Lauretta A. Ma-
goon, Mae H. Mesick, and Hannah Swanson. It was an oc-
casion for ceremony, and each of the graduates received a
gold pin as well as a diploma.
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 27
A new building for the Life Boat Home for girls was
started in 1908, mostly on faith and hope, but was completed
the following year with little outstanding debt. Dr. Frank
Gunsaulus, the well-known pulpit orator of Chicago, had
come to Hinsdale to make an appeal in behalf of the home,
and many local citizens had responded. Upon completion of
the next large addition to the main building soon afterward,
there was a combined celebration. This time the ceremonies
were in the form of a series of talks on subjects of health, an
open house program that lasted for several days.
Continuous gro^vth was a cause of fairly frequent rear-
rangement of departments and relocation of partitions be-
tween rooms. At one time it became necessary to locate the
linen section temporarily adjacent to the morgue, and the
two areas for a while were sort of overlapping. A certain lady
who worked among the linen supplies at the time has said
that during those few weeks when she arrived for work in
the morning she was never just sure whom she was going
to meet!
Toward the end of 1910 the Board of Trustees consisted
of:
Dr. David Paulson Dr. Mary Paulson
E. B. Van Dorn A. C. Gaylord
N. W. Paulson Mrs. C. L. Clough
Lillian Santee Laura Alkire
Wm. Covert Rosa J. Andre
M. A. Winchell Hannah Swanson
Dr. Kellogg's name is absent from the list, but he still
was a member of the Association.
Reform took many directions during the early years of
the century, and none of the reformers are to be disparaged in
their motives, their objectives, or in their sincerity. An issue
28 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
of the Doings in December, 1909 mentioned Lucy Page
Gaston as being a guest at the sanitarium, and noted that:
"From this place where most invalids resign themselves to
rest and recuperation. Miss Gaston is marshalling her forces pre-
paratory to a stirring campaign. While Miss Gaston has an ounce
of strength left she means to use it in saving the boys from self-
destruction caused by the use of tobacco and the cigarette."
Several months later another reformer was reported at
the Sanitarium:
"Dick Lane, who was once a notorious bank robber, but who
was reformed fourteen years ago [by the Life Boat Mission] and
is now engaged in evangelical work, paid the sanitarium a visit
during the past week."
The sanitarium's annual statement for 1910 placed the
real estate inventory at $132,495. Of course, this was largely
attributable to the buildings, but the land also had appre-
ciated considerably. The income account was showing little
improvement because the outgo demands never ceased. A
coal stoker, an electric light plant, the new elevator, a water
softener, a new kitchen, and various other necessities brought
no lessening in the need for funds, and when gifts were not
forthcoming, the money had to be borrowed.
Horace E. Hoyt, the treasurer, passed away during the
summer of 1910. He had been a faithful, intelligent officer
of the organization, and a staunch associate of Dr. Paulson's
for years. He was energetic, a diplomat, and a keen worker
for the cause. A. C. Gaylord was elected to succeed him.
Upon the employment of Dr. W. H. Wolf sen as assistant
physician to Dr. Paulson, the number of doctors serving the
institution was increased to four. They were referred to as
the "medical faculty," indicating their duties as teachers as
well as physicians.
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 29
In November, 1911, the Doings reported a widespread
diphtheria epidemic throughout Illinois. Schools were closed
in many counties, and all hospitals had a part in quelling the
disease.
Thanksgiving at the sanitarium was a pleasant one. Pa-
tients and their friends were invited to dinner in the large
dining room, which was well filled; and a free dinner was
served to all employees, about 90 in number. A special service
of song and thanksgiving was held in the large parlor in the
evening under the direction of Mr. M. H. Serns, the new
Director of Music.
That entertainment was followed by others, all typical
of the organization's unceasing and comprehensive attention
to the patient's requirements. The Thanksgiving entertain-
ment was followed by Christmas week, a talk by Mr. Sadler
who had just returned from Europe, the usual Tuesday even-
ing prayer meetings, a lecture on Africa by Miss Doering, and
one by Dr. Paulson on "How the Body Defends Itself Against
Disease." Radio was still some years away, which was one
reason for frequent lectures and other diversions. Another
of the lectures told "how to secure gymnasium exercise while
performing ordinary household duties." (Many housewives
of the present day might consider the suggestion as altogether
superfluous) .
Consideration of a variety of items, many of them small
but unavoidable, began to take a good deal of time during
meetings of the Board of Trustees. Fruit canning, the choice
of a collection agency for delinquent accounts, a request to
the railroad that its locomotives refrain from whistling while
passing the sanitarium, a new coal contract, garbage disposal,
and questions of discipline of individual employees, are only
a few of the many routine items of business. Larger questions
30 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
that were pending concerned management of the Good
Samaritan Inn, living quarters for the expanding personnel,
and especially the lingering question of a dormitory for the
nurses.
During 1 91 3 a beginning was made in occupational thera-
py. The sanitarium sent a member of its staff to Berea College
in Kentucky, to see the students there weave cloth, hammer
metal, and work leather. Those, and similar operations at
Hinsdale were, and still are, of aid in bringing certain pa-
tients back to normal.
Toward the close of 1914 Dr. Paulson looked back over
the first ten years of the sanitarium's work with much satis-
faction, but in the spirit of all achievers he also saw other
things to do. He could point with pride to certain "branches
that had grown from the sanitarium tree." There were the
nurses' training school and the Rescue Home; taking the
gospel to prisoners; health education; field work, as exem-
plified in the medical evangelical tours, and the continuing
medical missions in the large cities. The sanitarium itself,
at last was functioning smoothly. It had been an up-hill pull
at first, finding money to pay for buildings, equipment, and
the various charities, but public faith in the undertaking,
as demonstrated in the surprisingly large patronage, had
proved sufficient security for both loans and donations. And
now, the institution was showing a modest surplus at the
end of each year. His capable wife, and other stalwarts of
the organization, including the newcomer Dr. Wolfsen who
had taken hold without prompting, had, of course, been larg-
ly instrumental in these successes, to the doctor's way of
thinking.
But there were still other branches that should grow out
from the tree. Dr. Paulson envisioned the development of
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 31
more leaders in the work, those who would "welcome bur-
dens" in providing superior service. The sick poor always
needed their attention. He needed leaders to teach "funda-
mental principles; not impulse or notion, or whim;" so that
a larger force of leaders could be recruited. Those were the
objectives.
In Stride
Many hospitals have religious backing and spon-
sorship, and those that do usually represent some one denom-
ination in particular. According to its By-laws, the Hinsdale
Sanitarium and Benevolent Association was to be non-sectar-
ian; it welcomes patients of all religious sects and faiths (only
10 per cent of its patients have been members of the parent
church) , but the Association and its sanitarium have, from
the start, been affiliated with the comparatively young Sev-
enth-day Adventist denomination. The denomination was
reared in New England as one of the Evangelical Protestant
churches, beginning about 1840.
Physical healing and Adventism form a natural combina-
tion, because the Adventists believe that "healing of the body
is a vital accessory in the work of healing the soul." In this
belief they have sponsored the establishment of 165 hospitals,
sanatoria and treatment clinics at various places throughout
the world, employing 385 doctors and 7,875 nurses and
helpers. The first of these, opened in 1866, was the Health
Reform Institute, later to become the Battle Creek Sanitar-
ium. Most of their regularly employed physicians have come
from the College of Medical Evangelists, in California, men-
tioned on Page 12, which is one of various educational insti-
tutions the Adventists also have sponsored.
Why are the people of this denomination called Seventh-
day Adventists? The answer is in two parts: the seventh
day of the week, Saturday, is their Sabbath because they take
(32)
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 33
the fourth commandment exactly as it reads. "Remember
the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor,
and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the
Lord thy God." Accordingly, tliey believe that the original
Sabbath of Jesus was on Saturday, and that only dates, not
days of the week, were altered by Pope Gregory's subsequent
revision of the calendar. They are "adventists" because they
look forward to a second advent of Jesus upon the earth, the
occurrence of which will bring universal peace and divine
government to all mankind. The Adventists have become an
active denomination of national and international scope only
since the latter half of the 19th century, but through their
missionary zeal, their ardent determination to serve, and their
happy, bouyant spirit, remarkable progress has been made
over the past 80 years.
When the present century was young, both medical and
lay people were evincing faith in nature's remedies: rest,
'fresh air, sunshine, a wholesome diet, and a mind put at ease
by pleasant surroundings. This was an enlightened reaction
from the popular overuse of drugs, the benefits of which were
becoming doubtful. Dr. Paulson was an ardent advocate of
natural aids to health because they were in keeping with his,
and the Adventists', belief in the oneness of physical and
spiritual well-being. The sanitarium concept had originated
and was nurtured in those beliefs, in "physiological therapeu-
tics," as they were termed, and sanatoria were becoming
popular throughout the country. Even today amidst the
various chemical, surgical, and other therapeutic advances,
the remedies provided by nature have lost none of their
appeal.
When the year 1915 arrived, the Board of Trustees con-
sisted of:
34 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
Dr. David Paulson Dr. Ora Barber
Dr. Mary Paulson Nellie Jeffers
A. C. Gaylord Dr. L. H. Wolfsen
Mrs. C. L. Clough Mrs. Gaylord
N. W. Paulson F. F. Johnson
Rose Andre Mrs. Johnson
The interior of the large frame structures that comprised
the main building at that time was spacious and well ven-
tilated, but the general appearance gave little suggestion of
cheer, in which characteristic the interior decor was in marked
contrast to the occupants. Typical of the general interior
was the commodious dining room, with all of its woodwork
in dark brown, heavy pillars supporting the beamed ceiling,
and wood panelling half way up the walls all around the
room. Rugs and carpets were more in evidence than they are
in modern hospitals, and the beds, of course, were largely of
the old non-adjustable type.
Many of the patients were not bed patients. They wan-
dered about at will except for their treatment and rest
schedules. A few played tennis on the yard court, many sat
out in the deck chairs on the verandas, even during the win-
ter, and almost any time of day, during the summer, a pas-
ser-by could see patients resting under the trees or strolling
across the spacious lawn. Often in the evening there was
music, a prayer meeting, or a "stereopticon" lecture.
In various kinds of endeavor a ready source of help often
is found in those who work while attending school. On this
basis the management began, in 1915, to furnish teachers
for boys and girls from various states who would work at the
sanitarium while learning grade school subjects. At first the
teachers were chosen from among the regular supervisory
personnel, but as this work expanded over the years it was
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 35
to become knoAvn as the Academy, with separate teachers,
and quarters.
The chief treatment departments of those days were:
Hydro and heat therapy Electric, vibrator, etc.
Surgery Laboratories, clinical
Maternity and X-ray
Children's department Occupational therapy
There were stores in the village, but also a "general store"
on the ground level, at the rear of the main sanitarium build-
ing. It sold clocks, shoes, flashlights, canned food, thread,
safety pins, and other things that might be needed in a hurry.
A pharmacy on the premises filled prescriptions, and there
was a circulating library. National, and a few denomin-
ational, magazines were on the parlor tables.
Dr. Paulson presided at his last annual meeting in No-
vember, 1915. The following October, after several months
of illness, he passed away, in Asheville, North Carolina, where
he had gone in the hope of recuperation. The sanitarium
family had anticipated this occurrence, which made the loss
no easier to bear, but it did enable a smoother transition
from conditions as they had been under Dr. Paulson's per-
sonal administration to those prevailing without him. As he
would have wished, after he had gone, the work went forward
without hesitation or uncertainty, which, of itself was excel-
lent testimony to the wisdom of his long administration.
Dr. Paulson's friends outside the sanitarium perhaps were
more vocal in their grief. The Hinsdale Doings carried a
three column story of his life and achievements, ending with
this statement:
"He builded wisely and well, and the various institutions and
interests of which he was the founder and chief promoter, and for
which he gave his life, will continue to bless humanity, and serve
as a monument to his memory."
36
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
'\ll1>Ml|ll .illlaiiliv
wab
l»Sfe».,
'ii
i*
THE OLD SANITARIUM ABOUT 1910
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 37
He was buried in Bronswocxi Cemetery, near Hinsdale,
following a service that had been held at the Sanitarium.
At the next meeting of the Board of Trustees Mr. Julius
Paulson, a brother, who had recently arrived from his resi-
dence in Mexico, and had been serving the organization as
Desk Clerk, was elected president.
America's entry into the war, in 1917, influenced many
changes both nationally and locally, and among them was a
feeling on the part of the Sanitarium's managers that there
should be a closer affiliation between the institution and the
Church. It seemed desirable for the institution to be under
jurisdiction of the Lake Union Conference of the Seventh-
day Adventists and that the Union Medical Board should
have a larger voice in the Sanitarium's affairs. Eventually this
was brought about through an agreement whereby the Con-
ference was to have no financial control or obligation but
was to have a substantial representation on the Sanitarium's
Board.
Dr. L. H. Wolfsen, "Gentleman Physician" for eight
years; of demonstrated capacity in his profession, and as one
of the leaders in the organizjttion, submitted his resignation
in February, 1918. He had been a good team-mate, displaying
both interest and initiative. The resignation was accepted
with regret.
As the war progressed, the Sanitarium, as others, began
paying higher prices and higher wages. This caused a higher
level of rates to the patients, but patronage increased as a
shortage of workers developed. The old order was changing,
at the "San" as elsewhere.
In the fall of 1918 half of the working force was hit by the
widespread epidemic of "Spanish influenza"; nevertheless,
the calls received from outsiders having the disease were an-
38 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
swered, and the doctors and nurses responded as best they
could. At this time also, Professor J. G. Lamson began his
first term as Chaplain.
There were various salary and wage adjustments in the
wake of the war; also a deed of trust was executed with the
Central Trust Company of Chicago. Through this transaction
$150,000 was obtained for the joint purpose of refunding the
outstanding indebtedness, and of starting construction of a
large fire-resistive addition to the Sanitarium. It was to be a
brick building of three stories, erected just south of the main
hospital, all of which was of frame and clapboard.
By the end of the year 1919 the number of employees
had jumped to 168, from 135 of the year before; the daily
patient census was averaging 95, or well over two workers
per patient, and the pay roll was almost half of the gross
income.
By 1920, income exceeded the previous year by $100,000,
but wages and prices were soaring. The number of patients
treated per year had reached 1 ,295 with an average stay of 23
days. Many were turned away. During 1920 a much-needed
cost accounting system was installed, and at the annual meet-
ing that year President Julius Paulson lamented over the
apparent desire for self-advancement on the part of so many
persons, rather than advancement of the general good.
The new brick addition had been completed during the
year, at a cost of $146,000 adding accommodations for 50
patients in nicely furnished rooms. Under H. E. Ford, its
technician, the laboratory had been enlarged to carry out
tests in pathology, serology, blood chemistry, and basal me-
tabolism. No longer would that work have to be sent out. An
Executive Committee had been appointed during the year to
relieve the Board of various minor decisions.
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 39
One of the minor but recurring problems was that of
the disciplining of individual workers and students. The
Board's minute book contains occasional statements such as:
" was granted an indefinite vacation without pay.
was transferred from the training school to duty in the kitchen
for two weeks." It is evident throughout that high standards
of personal conduct have been maintained by those in charge,
as indicated by disciplinary measures and by occasional re-
vision of the rules pertaining to employee and student con-
duct.
There had been no official change in the name of the in-
stitution, but with increasing frequency it was being referred
to as the "Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital," and un-
doubtedly the reason for this was found in a gradual trend
toward shorter term hospitalization, accompanied by a notice-
able tapering off in the census of the longer term sanitarium
"guests." In 1921 with the arrival of a slight business reces-
sion, special rates were offered to industrial concerns for
short-term hospitalization of their employees.
Another sign of the times was found in a change that had
taken place at the Good Samaritan Inn. The men from Chi-
cago's slums who were in need of that rest facility had de-
creased to such an extent that the building, in 1921, was used
for a different purpose. In that year it became the Rescue
Home, and the former Home was released to serve as a
dormitory for the nurses. Various rooms in the Sanitarium
were remodeled and refurnished during that year, and re-
equipment of the obstetrical department was completed. Oc-
cupational therapy was transferred to better quarters in the
new south building.
Then, there were 67 students in the Academy. It will be re-
membered that this school was organized to teach elementary
40
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
.,"-"«««,, iJ?;t»feb«t
^'^''^s::»mc^^
. ,.|i*;;'::!''iiH>i,,.,,,r.,,
"">..',','< ii''' ".■•111,, 1/
"'iillll
'"iHl
Ik'^
'''''"'''^-HWaflliJi
""'''lta',v,.YA\'j/;iwf
,.,. „,,M\'ll''"'"WllllM''f'''ni|./7^6 . "11111, „ll"-*|;f)l"l*'Mn|ll"
i;ill''^"'Mll)li!l'll//)''
PAULSON HALL WAS ADDED IN 1919
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 41
subjects to young recruits for work in the sanitarium.
They worked while learning, and became a sort of worker
reserve, to fill in where needed. Full-time teachers of the
Academy were R. U. Garrett, Miss H. Andre, Louise De-
deker, Doris David, and Edna Ragsdale. A library was es-
tablished for the Academy and for the Nurses' Training
School.
When President Julius Paulson passed away in 1923, he
was generally recognized as a wise administrator and one
with breadth of vision. He worked up until the day he died.
In the resolution of condolence that was prepared in his
memory, it w^as said, among other things, that "We appreciate
more than ever the extent and diversity of his endeavors. . . ."
These are the different departments that were perform-
ing the sanitarium's work in 1923, and the names of those
employed in each section:
Medical
Dr. J. F. Morse
Dr. J. H. Neall
Dr. Mary Neall
Dr. J. W. Hopkins
Dr. \V. C. Clough
Housekeeping
Rose Andre
V. J. Mallernee
Mrs. Dickinson
Miss Crowell
Laboratory
H. E. Ford
Chaplain
L. A. Hoopes
Business
N. W. Paulson
E. A. Morris
W. J. Walter
Publishing
Mrs. C. L. Clough
City Service
Theresa Fernandes
Music
Vera Hoopes
Occupational Therapy
C. W. Hess
Store
Alfred Klug
42 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
Dormitory Carpentry
Hannah Swanson Mr. Geisweller
Gardening Engineering
A. C. Graefe Rex Jeffers
Laundry L. B. R. H.
H. M. Davis Mrs. M. Cobb
Painting Farm
Charles Dessain D. C. Stevenson
The name "Paulson" kept rising to the top at the Hins-
dale Sanitarium. A few months after the passing of Julius
Paulson, during which time J. W. Christian served as acting
president, Mr. N. W. Paulson was elected to the presidency.
N. W. Paulson was among the original five who launched the
institution in 1904, and as the years passed he was to become
a stabilizing influence in time of need.
During the years 1923 to 1930 the sanitarium prospered
and made further progress in organization and plant. It was
a period of steady growth, although there were no major
events or additions to property. Selected from among the
happenings of those years are these: As the missionary work
in the city became less urgent, its name was changed to
"Social Service Work," and an office for this activity was
opened and named the Life Boat City Center. Better case
histories of patients were being compiled, and the medical
records department received a thorough overhauling. L. A.
Hoopes, who had replaced Professor Lamson as Chaplain,
was transferred to Atlanta, and Professor Lamson returned to
Hinsdale. In 1916 bobbed hair for the nurses had been
prohibited. In 1926 the prohibition was lifted. The Board
voted to send all of the Academy teachers to a teachers' con-
vention in Michigan. Mr. Ford was instructing students in
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 43
laboratory techniques. The House Committee, that has served
so well over the years, was appointed in 1927. The School of
Nurses was placed on tlie accredited list of the State of Illi-
nois. A business manager, an auditor, and a dietitian were
employed. Standard medical and surgical fees were estab-
lished. A safety vault for valuable papers was obtained. The
Academy was accredited by the Lake Union Educational
Board, and the school, by 1926, was no longer a financial
drain on the Sanitarium. Radios in patients' rooms presented
certain problems. An improved procedure for requisitioning
supplies was instituted. A Department of Internal Medicine
was established. Mr. Darrow, the capable electrician and
plumber, was also designated as fire chief. The Rescue Home
changed its name to the West Suburban Home for Girls.
During the formative years the management had been un-
usually lenient toward those who could not pay, or pay in
full, for their hospital services. As experience accumulated
with both the poorer patients, and the cost of running a hos-
pital, it became obvious that a curtailment of the former gen-
erosity in the discounting of patients' bills was unavoidable
if the institution were to remain financially sound. There-
fore, it was not surprising that beginning in 1927, the man-
agement found it expedient to investigate the ability to pay,
in many instances. Often this was done by means of inquiry
of the patient's home church, coupled with a request that the
church assist the patient if it could. Previous arrangement for
the discounting of charges, instead of making the arrange-
ments after the patient was admitted, became a requirement
of all charity cases. The policy has met with little or no op-
position.
By 1928 the Board was using the present year's operations
as a basis for the following year's budget. That could not
44 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
have been done so easily during the building years.
Because several of the key personnel had resigned or
been transferred during 1928, the following year many po-
sitions needed to be filled. An election resulted in this re-
vised alignment of supervisors:
J. W. Christian President
G. H. Simpson Secretary
Dr. C. F. Birkenstock Medical Supt.
M. A. Hollister Chaplain
Jessie S. Tupper Supt. of Nurses
N. W. Paulson Vice-President
W. E. Abernathy Business Manager and
Treasurer
E. A. Morris Credit Manager
Miss Rose Andre Matron
N. W. Paulson Steward
Dr. J. H. Neall Assistant Medical Supt.
When Miss Ulvick left, Miss Jessie Tupper had replaced
her as Superintendent of Nurses. Miss Tupper had arrived
from Nova Scotia in 1917 as the sanitarium's switchboard
operator. At the 1928 annual meeting the manager's report
referred to Miss Tupper as "one of our own girls who has
had unusual training, and has made considerable advance in
putting our nursing on a more efficient basis."
April, 1930, brought a surprise to the management. The
American College of Surgeons had omitted the Hinsdale
Sanitarium from the list of fully approved hospitals. The
disapproval related to these points:
1. No regulations concerning admittance of staff mem-
bers.
2. No staff meetings.
3. Medical records not up to date.
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 45
These requirements could not be met immediately, but
no time was lost in making a start. At the next Board meet-
ing actions for repairing the deficiencies were voted and were
soon under way.
It will be remembered that back in 1895 Dr. J. H. Kel-
logg had organized a medical mission among Chicago's poor
and destitute and that the Doctors Paulson had been active in
the work of the project which became known as the Life
Boat Mission.
In 1904 the mission was incorporated as the Working-
men's Home and Life Boat Mission, with Dr. David Paul-
son president of the board, and M. A. Winchell, superin-
tendent. Most of the board members were also trustees of the
Hinsdale Sanitarium. The principal constituents of the
Mission were the Northern Illinois Conference of the Sev-
enth-day Adventists, the trustees of the American Medical
Missionary College, which then was still in existence, trust-
ees of the Hinsdale Sanitarium and Benevolent Association,
and certain persons in the employ of the corporation. Its
purposes were purely philanthropic, benevolent, and char-
itable.
The activities were carried on by several committees
whose work encompassed jail visits, especially at near-by
police stations and at the Joliet penitentiary, and rescue ser-
vice, in both of which the twin implements of religion and
medicine played major roles; publishing the Life Boat maga-
zine, and finances. The latter function was cause of even more
concern than it was at the Sanitarium, because in the mission-
ary work there were no paying guests. It was all out-go. In-
come, of necessity, consisted entirely of gifts and donations.
46 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
Because a farm in La Salle County that had been deeded
to Dr. Kellogg for the benefit of worthy destitute men was
too far away to be operated by the Mission, the land eventual-
ly was sold and the proceeds were placed in trust for Mission
purposes. In 1 907 a small farm south of La Grange had been
purchased. For many years it proved useful in the Mission's
rehabilitation work and for the growing of vegetables. A few
of the more ambitious among the mission's proteges found
country air and at least temporary employment at this farm.
When the American Medical Missionary College closed
its doors in 1910 the mission lost the services of those students
of the College who had assisted in the missionary work, a loss
that proved especially acute at times; but also it was notice-
able that the charitable and benevolent needs of the city were
undergoing a change. New agencies were coming into prom-
inence. There were Hull House, Gads Hill Center, the
Friendly Aid Society, the Chicago Commons Association,
and others that had taken up the challenge and were "throw-
ing out the life line," in the words of a popular mission song
of the period. Older agencies, The Pacific Garden Mission,
and the Salvation Army, were broadening their fields of
operation.
During the first World War meetings of the mission's
board were few. There was less business to attend to be-
cause work opportunities were more prevalent and all levels
of society were realizing higher standards of living. At about
this time also, the Hinsdale Sanitarium felt justified in re-
ducing its attention to missionary work in the city and ex-
tending more of it to the needy of Du Page, the county in
which it was situated.
As the year 1930 approached and passed, the mission was
turning its attention more toward the magazine The Life
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 47
Boat, tlian to the needs of destitute men and women. It was
not long before the Life Boat Mission became a memory, to
repose among other notable memories of Chicago's past.
A review of the proceedings and the relationships between
the various corporations and associations out of which the
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital has grown seems a bit
complicated at times; but there is much evidence to show
that each step was taken only after intelligent consideration,
that all of them were needed, worthy, and right in step with
their times. Above all, however, those various projects and
accomplishments are a reflection of the men and women
who undertook them. Guided by those "fundamental prin-
ciples" so ardently advocated by their leaders, that pioneer
group of the mission, the college, the sanitarium, with its
two schools, the rescue home, and the magazine, have left a
clear-cut record of well-integrated labor for humanity that
few of the modern generation can equal. Those valiant
groups not only preceded, but in a sense led the way for un-
employment insurance, relief benefits, and other present-day
public benefactions.
When J. W. Christian resigned in 1930, N. W. Paulson
was re-elected president, after serving a few months pro-tem.
The Sanitarium had experienced its first operating loss in
1927; a gain had not been realized since that year, and none
was in prospect. A steady hand was needed at the helm.
As the signs of a deepening general depression accumu-
lated, the Hinsdale Sanitarium tightened its belt, and the
President called for a special financial report. Business was
falling off, more of the patients were finding it difficult to
48 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
pay their bills, and a few heavy, unexpected repairs could
be deferred no longer. The payroll ratio to net income was
66.5 per cent, entirely too high. The sanitarium was becom-
ing seriously embarrassed by the calling of its notes. Courage,
confidence, and an earnest effort to reduce the operating ex-
penses were imperative.
To stem the unfavorable tide and reduce expenses, re-
ductions could be made in the stock of supplies, in the work-
ing force, and in wages; in fuel, traveling expenses, accounts
receivable, and interest on loans. So during the next two years
these measures were effected: a saving of 20 tons per week in
coal consumption; the working force was reduced by 30, with
understanding cooperation on the part of those who had to
leave; a general salary and wage reduction of 10 per cent was
effected, and the inventory of supplies was drastically cur-
tailed. It was possible to close the "Inn" for the winter by
moving the nurses to rooms in the main building, this being
made possible by the reduced enrollment of patients. The
Laboratory services were placed on a cash basis. An unused
lot was sold to pay taxes. There were only three physicians
instead of the usual four. A letter of reassurance was sent to
holders of the sanitarium's notes, a step that was accorded
substance through the election of a completely new Board
of Trustees. The latter move was more of a reshuffle than a
renewal, because it would have been difficult to find qualified
new members who had not served on the Board at some time
in the past; nevertheless, it was intended as a gesture to instill
confidence, and very likely it had that effect. "Give me a
family of workers who are Christians and will pull together,
and I will show you an institution that will succeed," said
the President.
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 49
These persons constituted the new Board:
Chairman W. H. Holden
E. E. Harter W. E. Bliss
S. E. Wright W. W. Frank
G. S. Hoskin H. E. Ford
N.\ V.Paulson R.U.Garrett
M. A. Hollister E. A. Morris
The services of C. E. Rice, the capable business manager
who had served the Hinsdale Sanitarium at a previous time
were again secured, in 1931, for a short time. He outlined
certain plans and directives before returning to his post with
the General Conference. His place was then taken by L. M.
Bowen as permanent manager. Elder J. W. Christian con-
ducted a remunerative campaign among those who were
financially indebted to the institution.
"Should the Academy be suspended for a time?" No, it
was decided to continue it under a restricted program. Vaca-
tions were curtailed. Mr. N. W. Paulson served as purchasing
agent among his other duties. Salary advances were discon-
tinued. The daily census of patients was still dropping and
collections were more difficult. Many businesses closed their
doors during that period, and so did many sanitariums, but
the Hinsdale Sanitarium remained open.
Not only did it continue to operate, but during those
days of deepening shadow in 1931 the institution contributed
a total of $9,005 toward charity in the combined forms of
free services and donations. Indeed, the "family of Christians"
was pulling through.
A business promotion committee was added to the other
remedial steps. The "Hinsdale Sanitarium Exponent" and
other printed media were used for advertising. Steps '^vere
50 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
taken to elicit the interest of more physicians of the Chicago
area toward sending their patients to the relative peace and
quiet of Hinsdale. There had been more patients per day in
1926 than any year since, the daily census having fallen from
88 to 47.
During 1931 the Executive Committee gave way to the
"Local Board," for deciding numerous small questions that
required the directors' attention. The local board met more
frequently and often called in those persons who were direct-
ly concerned with the business at hand. The two boards and
every worker, from the president down to the youngest bus
boy, were instilled with the stark need of curtailing expenses.
Rays of hope would appear only to vanish a few months
later. A "payless week" and several others to follow were
agreed to by all of the employees. How could such a group
of people fail?
When a definite turn for the better finally appeared,
toward the latter part of 1932, it came in the form of im-
provement in the rate of collections of overdue bills, this to
be followed by the institution's ability to meet its interest
obligations more promptly. In April 1932 the board had
prepared a budget "to be balanced by a certain date," and
at the end of the year the goal was almost reached. Patronage
was still low, but expenses were becoming so well controlled
that the future seemed secure.
Aside from the Paulsons, there were several medical men
of note who served the institution before the staff, as it is
now organized, came into being. Dr. Wolfsen has been men-
tioned. There were doctors J. F. Morse, C. F. Birkenstock,
and J. W. Hopkins, medical directors, and Dr. J. H, Neall
who organized the electrotherapy department, and who was
so effective in the training of nurses, and Dr. W. C. Clough.
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 51
During the year 1933 a very important move was made at
the sanitarium. A set of byla^vs and regulations Avas drawn
up governing the medical staff. The instrument covered the
qualifications of staff members, terms of service, and ethical
standards, and it divided the staff into four classes of physi-
cians:
Consulting. Those specialists on the staff who agreed to
serve in this capacity.
Active. Those who attended the free patients. Only these
voted or held office.
Associate. Junior, and less experienced physicians, each
to be associated with a more experienced staff member.
Courtesy. Those eligible members of the profession who
chose the sanitarium for their patients and who agreed to
serve on the staff in accordance with its regulations. The
courtesy division has been the largest of the four.
Following this rearrangement, the previous custom of free
surgery was discontinued, but at the same time a free medi-
cal clinic was established. The clinic was to prove an appro-
priate accessory to the staff reorganization.
The first Chief of Staff under the new bylaws was Dr.
F. G. Dyas, a surgeon of wide reputation. Upon his death the
office went to Dr. A. H. Lueders, and then to Dr. W. W.
Frank, after his return from service with the army medical
corps. During the years 1952-1955, Dr. Lueders, Dr. Frank,
Dr. R. E. LaRue, and again Dr. Frank, served successively as
president of the staff. From January, 1956, to the present, Dr.
F. M. Brayshaw has been Chief of Staff.
It is interesting to note in passing that by this time the
sanitarium had regained the full approval of the American
College of Surgeons, and that this action had been taken prior
to reorganization of the staff. Among the surgeons who oper-
52 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
ated at the old Hinsdale Sanitarium was the late Franklin H.
Martin, organizer, and one of the early presidents, of the
American College of Surgeons.
In August, 1934, "Dr. Mary" Paulson Neall submitted her
resignation. She was to join her sister, Caroline L. Clough,
who had retired some years before. Both would move to
California. Both had been among the original five who trans-
formed a vacant estate into a useful institution. Both had
served with distinction in those missionary services that were
preliminary to the Hinsdale organization, and for twenty-six
years in various institutional capacities. Mary had been Dr.
David Paulson's inspiration and closest associate; Caroline,
one of his chief lieutenants, and a leader in the various Life
Boat undertakings. Both had served many terms on the board,
and, as the years passed, had become advisors to their younger
associates.
As the year 1935 approached, the patient roster was giving
indication of a turn for the better, but economies were still
necessary. Long deferred repairs were scheduled, and the
Board was drawing up a plan of sustentation for retiring em-
ployees which would require a reserve fund.
From the start, the chaplain at the Hinsdale Sanitarium
has always been a very busy man. Besides the usual church
activities, there were many ill and disabled persons to be
visited, relatives to be consoled, visitors to be greeted, prayer
meetings to be conducted, and denominational affairs to be
attended. Reflecting loyal financial support on the part of
the denominational members, no shortage of funds in the
furtherance of those activities has been apparent.
By 1935 there were thirty- three members of the medical
staff:
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
L. L. Andrews F. G. Dyas
R. D. Barclay
W. S. Bebb
A. E. Bricker
P. G. Black
E. W. Bretz
C. T. Carr
J. W. Can
J. C. Clarke
L. C. Clowes
P. G. Dick
G. G. Ehrler
H. R. Feldott
W. W. Frank
J. A. Gardiner
W. \V. Gourley
A. J. Hospers
C. I. Leff
A. H. Lueders
R. F. Manning
53
J. J. Moore
P. G. Peterson
P. L. Peterson
C. E. Schultz
C. S. Small
P. H. Van Verst
F. S. Weber
N.T.Welford
W. K. West
O. D. Willstead
E. F. Worsley
R. A. Matthies
Most of these physicians, of course, were members of the
Courtesy Staff and representative of various communities.
Many of them brought patients to the Sanitarium. In keep-
ing with the improved staff organization, a nurses' registry
was established soon after.
In March, 1936, J. J. Nethery was elected President of
the board, replacing W. H. Holden. M. V. Campbell was
elected Vice Chairman, and Chairman of the local board.
Under the new administration the Lake Union Conference
was petitioned to make a complete survey of the sanitarium's
organization and properties with a view toward scheduling
its requirments over the ten years to follow; a comprehensive
special report was drawn up by the medical department; and
it was voted to make another canvass of all the sanitarium's
bond and note holders. The canvass was made necessary by
the large brick addition that had been built in 1919. Bonds
covering that project were falling due. This benovolent and
charitable institution had, from the start, operated on a
margin (of what a business organization would call profit)
of less than 1 per cent. Since there were no general reserves
or sinking funds, when obligations fell due, means had to be
54 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
found of meeting them, or melting them down. Mr. G. C.
Hoskin, the manager, visited every bond holder, thus renego-
tiating the entire indebtedness to a basis upon which the
sanitarium could carry it. The canvass was a success, averting
a second, though local, depression.
Board members, constituents, and members of the staflE
were changing. Employees were transferring to and from
other institutions, or elsewhere, and occasionally news was
received of former employees — cheerful news or sad. Harry
E. Ford, the well-remembered laboratory technician of the
1920's and '30's, passed away in 1938 at Nashville, Tennessee,
He had joined the sanitarium force in 1919 and had eventual-
ly become a member of the board. He was managing a sani-
tarium for his colored race at the time and place of his
passing.
By 1940 the patronage had returned to normal, indebt-
edness was considerably reduced, the property was in a fair
state of repair, and a number of improvements had been
effected. But the initial omens of a second world war were
beginning to nudge any feeling of complacency that a full
return to normalcy might have engendered. Months before
Pearl Harbor, a higher rate of turnover in personnel became
noticeable, and the cost of help and supplies was increasing.
At this juncture President Nethery felt it necessary to re-
mind his associates that "the greatest need is for all to realize
the purpose of the institution," an admonition that had been
repeated on past occasions. He referred, of course, to the
need of healing the sick and of teaching the students, to the
need of "keeping the eye on the ball," in the face of a new
war and its accompanying distractions.
The sanitarium's affairs at that time were being conducted
by these boards and committees:
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
55
L. E. Lenheim
R. M. Harrison
J. J. Nethery
O. J.Dahl
Executive Board
B. C. Marshall
E. L. Green
F. M. Brayshaw
House Committee
B. C. Marshall O. J. Dahl
J. S. Tupper Evelyn Wiik
J. S. Barclay Fred Griesman
Helen Herwehe L. E. Lenheim
Budget and Finance
L. E. Lenheim E. L. Green
R. M. Harrison J. J. Nethery
J. S. Barclay H. P. Bloum
B. C. Marshall
Scho\ol of Nursing
B. C. Marshall Jessie Tupper
L. E. Lenheim
A. W. Johnson
Floyd Brayshaw
B. C. Marshall
J. S. Tupper
F. M. Brayshaw
L. Chatfield
O. J. Dahl
Amy Klose
Edna Shelburg
Faculty
Louise Chatfield
Amy Klose
Mrs. R. Spohr
Evelyn Wiik
Lela Harper
Stella Peterson
Edwin Graff
Arnie Roberts
Myrtle Foreman
V. Carleton
Something new for the sanitarium occurred in 1942.
Fifty five Hinsdale Township High School girls took a special
56 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
course of training and served as aides to the nurses, relieving
them of various duties that required no professional knowl-
edge or skill. In 1943, an affiliation was made with the Veter-
an's Hospital at Hines, Illinois, whereby the sanitarium's
nurses could serve there a number of weeks for added ex-
perience.
Following Mr. Nethery, Mr. B. C. Marshall had become
chief executive officer. His administration was to face some
of the same problems that had appeared during the previous
war, especially in the shortage and turnover of help and a
rise in prices. But in addition, there was the disturbing and
growing consciousness that the main buildings, the frame
structures that had been erected in 1904 and 1905, were be-
coming outmoded and soon would need replacing.
The years of the second world war were taken in stride,
and beyond that period momentous days were approaching.
These events were to happen soon: The Lake Union Con-
ference was to "acquire" the sanitarium, and, with the insti-
tution's participation, the Conference was to build a new
church on the property. The long anticipated modern dormi-
tory for the nurses was to be erected, and adequate quarters
for the other employees were to be realized. Of further sig-
nificance was this statement from a special report of the build-
ing committee, submitted July 3, 1945: "It is recommended
that we employ a capable architect at once to draw up a
master plan of the buildings that are needed, this plan to in-
corporate a new sanitarium building, in place of the wooden
structure. . . ."
The Path Ascends
When the war ended in 1945 the Hinsdale Sani-
tarium and Hospital had reached a fork in the road: a time
for decision. There had been 3,432 patients admitted during
1948, and the patronage was outgrowing the buildings and
other facilities. Both the buildings and the equipment were
well along the path of obsolescence. It was further apparent
that rebuilding on the required scale would enlarge the
properties to an extent that would place the sanitarium
beyond the scope of a purely local, suburban institution.
It would need the guardianship of a broader authority.
So the constituency arrived at the wise decision to apply
for Conference ownership and supervision of the properties,
while simultaneously petitioning the Conference for aid in
the erection of a new main building. That Rubicon was
crossed, and the Lake Union Conference of Seventh-day Ad-
ventists drew up an agreement that ^vas acceptable to all
parties. Under the new arrangement the Conference would
contribute a sizeable sum toward the new construction.
Existing funds would not cover the entire project, but
possibly the community could be called upon for part of it;
and there was new legislation, the Hill-Burton Act, under
which the Federal Government and the State of Illinois
would match the funds raised from private sources. Thus
"private sources" actually constituted the key to the project.
Architect Ed Halsted made a preliminary drawing. The
community physicians wholeheartedly endorsed the objec-
(57)
58 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
lives, and as time went on they would contribute valuable
advice on such questions as floor lay-out and the choice o£
equipment. The future was taking form, but the new build-
ing was far from assured.
About mid-July, 1949, a young boy of the neighborhood
was stricken with poliomyelitis. Since there were no adequate
suburban facilities for treating this disease, he was sent else-
where for cure. Soon, other cases appeared in the area.
Through their family doctor, this situation came to the
attention of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene W. Kettering. Their keen
interest in the subject of public health prompted them to
inquire of the Hinsdale Sanitarium concerning the possibility
of establishing a department for treating all contagious dis-
eases of children, including polio, they to furnish the equip-
ment. The proposal was altogether agreeable.
Meanwhile, the disease was assuming epidemic propor-
tions throughout the western suburbs. On August 18, the
Doings said seven new cases had been reported within forty-
eight hours. The handling of this emergency was legally a
responsibility of the County Board of Health and the Board
gave every assistance within its power, but Village authori-
ties pitched in also. In Hinsdale some said "spray the Vil-
lage," as is done for mosquitoes. But that was voted down by
the doctors, whose recommendations soon followed a state-
ment issued by President Dale Cox. Local swimming pools
were closed, the water supply was examined, and children
were urged to avoid public gatherings. Similar measures were
observed in the other towns.
Within a three-week period 53 active cases were re-
ported in the county, 18 of them in Hinsdale. The year fol-
lowing, the county had 27 cases, of which 3 were reported
in Hinsdale.
Hinsdale Sayiitarium and Hospital 59
After the disease had run its course in that summer of
1949, it was learned that before the epidemic had reached
its peak, the Sanitarium had received a complete set of the
latest equipment for combatting polio; and the Village Board
issued this statement: "... We are all especially grateful. . . .
Too few people realize how fortunate this community is to
have the splendid facilities for handling polio that are now
installed at the sanitarium. ..." The equipment was com-
plete, and the best obtainable. Not again will the western
suburbs be unprepared.
That experience served another immensely useful pur-
pose: It recruited community interest in the new hospital.
Soon a meeting was held at the Kettering residence attended
by various persons who had been connected with the epi-
demic, either as parents of victims or as helpers in the cause.
The Dewey Fagerburgs, Ed Gammon, T. A. Blank, Dr. A. H.
Lueders, Clifford Pratt, E. W. Matteson, Marshall Keig, and
others met to discuss plans for community participation. A
committee was formed, and soon it was in consultation with
the sanitarium officials. Mr. Robert Hervig, Administrator,
his board of trustees, and all concerned could return their
attention to the building plans, plans which ultimately were
to grow beyond their original scope.
The architectural firm of Fugard, Burt, Wilkinson and
Orth was employed in April, 1950, to draw plans for the new
hospital. It would accommodate 202 bed patients and cost
approximately $3,000,000. "If the community is willing to
underwrite a fraction of this cost," said the administrator,
"there is every reason to believe we can realize our goal."
Mr. C. R. Osborn of Hinsdale was asked to serve as gen-
eral chairman of a fund-raising committee representing the
seven principal suburbs within the sanitarium's sphere of
60 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
patronage. Mr. N. M. Symonds would serve as finance chair-
man, and the following as co-chairmen of the separate towns
and divisions.
Clarendon Hills Perry Magill
Downers Grove John D. Clarke
Hinsdale K. Harper Clarke, Jr.
La Grange Park C. Livingston
La Grange Park Park C. Livingston
Western Springs George Arbogast
Westmont Walter Carroll
Volney B. Fowler Publicity Chairman
Fred J. Keller Industrial Group Chairman
E. W. Kettering Special Gifts Chairman
R. E. Pearsall Medical Group Chairman
A Civic Advisory Council was created by a Board of
Trustees resolution in March, 1950, as a further bond be-
tween the institution and the public. In anticipation of a
fund drive, a continuing liaison between the sanitarium and
the seven villages seemed advisable. It is the stated purpose
of the Council to " . . . meet regularly with the chief admin-
istrative officer of the institution to formulate, offer, and sub-
mit helpful suggestions in the management and operation of
said institution. . . . The Council shall consist of one mem-
ber from each of the aforementioned seven villages, . . . and
two additional members at large, . . . none of whom shall be
a director of the hospital, and who shall, in the first instance,
be chosen by the Board of Trustees."
The first president of the Council was Mr. Newell Ford
of Western Springs. He and his group coped with various
unusual problems that arose during the period of transition
from the old institution to the new.
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 61
Presently the council has this set of officers:
Chairman Gordon Metcalf
Vice Chairman Norman Galbraith
Secretary Mrs. Norine M. Manor
And these members:
Mrs. B. N. Anderson, Jr.
Mr. George A. Arbogast
Mrs. Jane K. Bunker (at large)
Mr. Norman G. Galbraith
Mrs. Virginia Kettering (at large)
Mr. Gordon Metcalf
Mr. William O. Nelson
After the council had been created, Mr. L. E. Lenheim,
president of the board of trustees, said, "the trustees believe
the council will be of immeasurable assistance in the guidance
of the board toward solution of many problems that in-
evitably will come with the enlargement of the institu-
tion. . . ."
It was obvious from the start that the fund-raising organ-
ization, under the chairmanship of Mr. Osborn, contained
all the elements of a successful campaign. A kick-off rally held
March 27, 1950, was attended by several hundred neighbor-
hood workers. Each of the seven towns had been well organ-
ized.
By April, the half-way mark had been passed. In June an
anonymous citizen offered to donate a sum equal to 10 per
cent of the public contribution, up to the $1,000,000 goal.
Under the Hill-Burton Act the State and Federal Govern-
ments matched every dollar of public subscription, so this
private offer obviously would, in effect, bring to $2.20 every
dollar subscribed by the public. By July, $826,739 had been
collected and pledged.
62 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
In August, 1950, when Mr. Osborn was moved by his
company to another city, his place as general chairman was
taken by N. M. Symonds. J. O. Heppes became Vice Chair-
man, a new post.
In September, 1950, the architects' drawings for the new
sanitarium were approved. As additional receipts were re-
ported. Federal approval of the project came closer. An Oak
Brook horse show, and several performances of the Hinsdale
Village Players brought further support. By January, 1951,
the citizens' contributions had passed $900,000, over $60,000
of which had been marked for memorial equipment in
memory of relatives or friends. In all, over 4,000 persons and
organizations contributed, as revealed in the final count.
By August, 1951, the fund had reached such proportions
as to assure passage of the Federal appropriation. The United
States Public Health Service immediately notified the archi-
tects and the sanitarium to proceed with the construction.
Idle funds were temporarily invested. Contractors' bids were
received and analyzed, and ground was broken October 21,
1951.
In the presence of N. M. Symonds, general chairman of
the funds committee, E. H. Marhoefer, Jr., whose firm was
awarded the contract, Norman C. Taylor, Administrator, and
others, the first spade of dirt was turned for the new build-
ing. The spade was wielded by Miss Peggy Pratt of Hins-
dale who had been one of the first polio patients during the
epidemic in 1949.
Preceding the ground-breaking, the event had been ob-
served in the new Seventh-day Adventist Church. There a
program led by M. L. Rice, president of the Lake Union Con-
ference, was attended by village presidents and civic lead-
ers from Hinsdale and near-by communities.
Hijisdale Sanitarium and Hospital 63
Construction had advanced far enough to lay the corner-
stone the following year. Amid the miscellany of building
equipment and supplies, the ceremony could be attended by
only a few, but this is what the copper box placed under a
pillar of the front portico contains:
Historical notes pertaining to the old sanitarium and the
events leading to erection of the new one.
Lists of members of the board of trustees, the adminis-
trative staff, and the fund-raising committee; also a list of
all donors to the building fund.
A list of officials of the seven villages, a list of the medical
staff, names of the architects and contractors, and copies
of newspapers containing stories of the new property.
The cornerstone was set October 26, 1952, but a year was
to elapse before the patients could be moved from the old to
the new building. That year was not free of anxiety, as some
lag was experienced in the collection of donors' pledges, and
usual organizational routines were disturbed by construc-
tion operations so close at hand. By May, 1953, however, the
structure was 90 per cent finished, and on September 27
"Chucky" Richards, age 8, with a broad grin and a pair of
scissors cut a ribbon, signifying the opening of the $4,000,000
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital. Chucky had been among
the 70 child victims of polio in 1949.
On the day of formal opening several thousand past and
future patients and other friends arrived to inspect their
new facility. Some came from distant cities, and those who
could not be present sent congratulatory messages, among
them Governor Stratton and Health Director Cross, of the
State of Illinois.
Two days later all patients were moved at one time from
the old building to the new, an unusual procedure among
64 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
hospitals. On September 29, at 10:00 p.m., Judith Ann Lord
was born, the first baby to arrive in the new hospital.
Previously, an agreement had been reached with tht
University of Illinois College of Medicine which strengthened
between the hospital and the college a professional affilia-
tion which had been in force for some time. Under the aug-
mented agreement the college may avail itself of the hospi-
tal's improved facilities in its research work, and the hospi-
tal, in turn, will benefit from closer contact with the univers-
ity's medical staff, receiving its instruction and advice. The
college maintains procedural standards which the hospital
must meet, and a continuous check will reveal any laxity in
method or routine.
One of the first manifestations of the agreement was the
establishment of the children's clinic in the hospital as an
extension of the crippled children's services of the University.
The Du Page County Health Department cooperates in con-
ducting these clinics.
Razing of the old buildings took several months and made
some noise, while the staff, doctors, and nurses were becom-
ing accustomed to their new quarters. As the timbers came
down and were carried away, they also gave rise to nostalgic
contemplation among the old timers, as exemplified in this
bit of verse from a member of the organization:
Moving day came — the old San grew dim,
Not a light shone through its windows or doors.
Only a creaking sound was heard now and then,
As a wrecking surveyor crossed over its floors.
There were moments of silence as last looks were cast,
Knowing the old San would be a thing of the past.
One by one, old furnishings went their way,
From attic to basement; it was quite an array.
Edna Shelburg, '27
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
65
THE NEW MAIN BUILDING
66 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
Some of the equipment from the old building was still
usable, but most of it was disposed of in favor of equipment
of advanced design, and functionally more capable. Some of
the devices were new to the medical profession.
Furnishing of the building occupied many painstaking
hours, and other forms of generosity on the part of Mrs. Ket-
tering, Mary Kendall, the Kroehler Company, and other
friends of the hospital. Color schemes, curtain material,
furniture for patients' rooms and offices, and floor covering,
among various other items, called for decision, purchase, and
installation. In those phases of the hospital's equipage it was
the women who took the lead, but subsequent events were
to prove the furnishings as secondary among their all-over
contributions.
The Women's Service Board really had its beginning dur-
ing the epidemic of poliomyelitis in the summer of 1949.
The cases of polio had been so unexpected and so numerous
that the then existing facilities were inadequate. Defense
against the attack called in every available resource, includ-
ing aid to the overworked nurses; in the feeding of patients,
and substituting in other duties that required no professional
skill. Many women of the neighborhood volunteered in the
emergency.
The epidemic waned, but it had impressed Mrs. Kettering
and her associates who had organized the women, with the
desirability of maintaining a permanent corps of those wo-
men who might care to volunteer for hospital work on a
longer term basis. The region is fortunate in having many
women of that inclination among its residents. During the
following three years, organization of the Women's Service
Board was perfected. Now it has 150 members, all active. It
is a working organization.
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 67
Breadth of objective, size and loyalty of its membership,
and a bright record of service are noteworthy features of
this volunteer group. With a belief in business-like methods,
the members are guided by a carefully compiled set of by-
laws, under elected officers and a director of the daily opera-
tions, in work of the individual's choice. After completing a
16-hour preparatory course, the members perform tliese
specific services, complementary to, but in no way supplant-
ing, the functions of the nurses:
Baths for bed patients, on all floors.
Reading, writing letters, and attending to personal busi-
ness for patients.
Attendance on the needs of child patients.
Assist in hydrotherapy.
Preparation of supplies in the central supply department.
Attendance at the gift shop.
Circulating the library cart, and the gift cart.
Assisting the station clerks.
Secretarial work in various departments of the hospital.
Miscellaneous duties.
As the members arrive for work, their tasks are assisrned
by the volunteer director, and the members also report upon
leaving for the day. Records are kept of the time spent by each
volunteer, and of the time spent on each kind of work in
every department. Volunteer director of the service since it
was inaugurated is Mrs. J. Mackenzie Ward, whose office is
located in the main building. According to her records, as of
December, 1956, five members are entitled to wear pins
denoting 1,000 or more hours of service. They are:
Mrs. Wm. S. Faurot Mrs. Frank Hopwood
Mrs. Harold Ford Mrs. E. W. Kettering
Mrs. Perry Magill
68 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
Mrs. Kettering, as organizer and general overseer, serves
without a title. The organization is performing over 11,000
hours of useful and essential work per year.
During 1955 the Women's Service Board successfully
undertook a departure from its customary routine. It raised
enough money by means of a bazaar to air cool the entire
maternity floor.
At the Oak Brook Polo Club, September 22, 1956, the
Women's Service Board staged the "Travelers' Market," a
sale of gifts and wares from distant lands. The market at-
tracted over 3,000 persons, from Chicago and other places,
and it sold over $21,000 worth of goods for the Hospital's
benefit.
Service Board officers are:
Mrs. Walter Barber President
Mrs. Auwell Fogarty Vice President
Mrs. Lawrence Johnson, Jr. Secretary
Mrs. Neal Millar Secretary
Mrs. Herbert McClean Treasurer
These officers and the respective village chairmen consti-
tute the organization's Executive Board.
Closely allied with the Women's Service Board is the
Gift Shop, operated under the direction of Mrs. William S.
Faurot and Mrs. Harold Ford, The shop has been so suc-
cessful that plans now contemplate an enlargement of its
quarters off the main lobby.
It should be emphasized that all community help for the
hospital has come from a wide area; not from Hinsdale alone.
In fund-raising, each of seven villages took part, and each
continues to contribute its share in the various forms of
routine assistance.
The Medical Auxiliary was formed in 1953. It is open
Hiyisdale Sanitarium and Hospital 69
to wives of the medical staff and now has a membership
of 75 to 80.
Every year, in June, the group sponsors a "social," the
proceeds of which go toward scholarships for the School of
Nursing and toward a fund to provide loans to student
nurses. An annual dinner in recognition of the new staff
director and in honor of the retiring director is arranged.
This dinner is an expression of good fellowship, an occasion
for all staff members to meet informally. The Medical Auxil-
iary provides Christmas gifts for the student nurses, and, in
various ways, its members help to further the harmonious
spirit throughout the hospital family.
Officers of the Auxiliary are the following:
Mrs. Joseph L. Hrdina President
Mrs. George O. Baumrucker Vice President
Mrs. R. \V. Janda Recording Secretary
Mrs. Clarence Schilt Corresponding Secretary
Mrs. Herbert Stanton Treasurer
With the passage of the years and acquisition of the new
building, many changes have been inevitable in routine and
procedure as well as in equipment. The average length of
hospitalization of the patients is much shorter than formerly.
The institution no longer owns a farm. The free general
medical clinic has given way to the special clinic for children.
Gone are the days when nurses were assigned to general
duties for individual patients. Now each nurse has more
specific duties, a development that has been enhanced by the
services of the Women's Service Board and which has brought
greater efficiency to the daily routine. No longer does the
Academy operate as a part of the sanitarium. Nurses* training,
however, has greatly expanded. Family Night now takes the
place of former entertainments. At a Family Night in Febru-
70 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
ary, 1956, much of the program was in honor of Miss Anna
Pedersen who had served with the "family" in different
capacities for 52 years (see Page 18) . The messages of con-
gratulation and affection, from near and far, were many.
Worthy of a similar salute, but no longer present, was
Rosa Andre, Sanitarium Matron for thirty-odd years, and a
member of the Board. She was reliable, of pleasant demeanor,
and an excellent influence.
The new Seventh-day Adventist Church was built on the
east side of Oak Street in 1946, and dedicated in December,
1947. A large modern dormitory for nurses was ready for
occupancy in July, 1953. It is named Jessie Tupper Hall. All
of the furniture for this building was donated by the
Kroehlers.
No school has a more loyal alumni than the sanitarium's
school of nursing. They are always ready to help, as was
demonstrated during the depression years when the alumni
staged various entertainments and other benefits to help the
institution meet expenses.
The brick addition to the sanitarium that had been
erected in 1919 is known as Paulson Hall. In 1954 an audi-
torium with stage, adequate lighting, and a large seating capa-
city was completed on the ground floor. Here Family Night
and other gatherings are held. Dr. Paulson had always used
the word "family" in referring to his sanitarium associates.
South of Paulson Hall a new stone barbeque grill, a memorial
to Porter Essley, encourages suppers out of doors.
National Hospital Day was emphasized in May, 1949, with
the Director of Public Health for the State as the principal
speaker. Eight hundred guests attended, and the day came to
be suitably observed in subsequent years.
Under Conference jurisdiction, the chief executive officer
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 71
at the sanitarium has the title of Administrator. The first to
hold this title was Mr. Robert H. Hervig. In 1950 he was
succeeded by Mr. Norman C. Taylor who was in charge dur-
ing tlie construction period. When Mr. Taylor resigned
in 1954, Mr. O. T. Moline served as interim administrator
until the appointment in that year of Mr. A. C. Larson, the
present incumbent who administers the new plant.
Let's take a ivalk through the hospital.
First Floor
After noting the comfortable lobby, surrounded on three
sides by the information desk, the admittance office, the gift
shop, and the modern business offices south along the corri-
dor, we enter the Medical Records section north of the lobby.
Here written case records are kept on hand for five years or
longer on space-saving microfilms. A physicians' conference
room adjoins the records office.
West of there is the Surgery department comprising three
major operating rooms, one for minor operations, one for
genito-urinary operations, and one for fractures. All six rooms
are equipped with improved types of adjustable tables, lights,
and auxiliary devices. Adjoining service rooms are for con-
sultation, preparation, anesthetists, clean-up, recovery, and
a room for the supervisor of operation nurses.
In keeping with advanced practice, surgical instruments
are sterilized away from the operating rooms, in a special
section, from which the sterilized articles are delivered by
elevator as required. Large-faced time recorders embedded
in the walls of the operating rooms obviate the need of
wrist watches. For safety in the presence of anesthetic gases,
static electricity must be avoided, which is accomplished
72 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
through the use of a special floor-tiling and rubber-soled
shoes. Even the wheeled stretchers on which the patients are
moved to and from the operating rooms are improved ver-
sions, for comfort and quietness. The best in surgery calls
for a smoothly functioning team in performing the operation
and also for a design and layout of equipment and floor space
that conserves steps and motions. Most candidates for surgery
will agree.
Clinical and X-Ray Laboratories, so essential to the surgi-
cal procedures, are practically next door to the operating
rooms. The clinical laboratory, equipped with a flame pho-
tometer and other technical advances, deals in bacteriology,
basal metabolism, chemistry, hematology, pathology, serology,
and urinalysis. It maintains a reliable blood bank for trans-
fusions.
The x-ray section is equipped for the various types of
photography, deep-ray therapy, and fluoroscopy; with ade-
quate insulation, film viewing rooms, and a comfortable
waiting and dressing area. Film developing equipment is
designed for rapidity as well as for technical perfection. Im-
mediately after a film has been developed, the technician is
able to make a written report of his findings on a dictating
machine in an adjacent alcove.
Upper Floors
The Pediatric section treats persons under fifteen years of
age, except for those with polio, many of whom are older.
This area is so arranged that certain sections can be isolated
when contagious maladies are present. The room for infants
and another for postoperatives are permanently set apart. A
junior library and recreation room are at one end of this
department.
Hinsdale Satiitariurn and Hospital 73
Monaghan and Carmody-Mucller respirators (iron
lungs) , a large thermal tub, sling and spring suspensions
over beds, hot pack machines, beds that will rock, standing
beds, and especially fitted wheel chairs, are among the equip)-
ment currently in use for those with polio. Thirty cases at a
time, including sixteen acute, can be accommodated, and ad-
ditional equipment is available for emergencies.
The Psychiatric Department. One of die requirements
of a modern facility for mental hygiene is that of cheerful
placid surroundings, and another is employment of the most
recently approved treatments. The remedies have been
changing rapidly during recent years. In a department on the
fourth floor, all of the accepted requirements are provided.
Usually this department is well filled, but many of the
patients are not confined to their section of the building.
Frequently they go for walks and to the cafeteria for meals.
The patients have a sun parlor, a music room, facilities for
playing games; they often spend profitable hours in occupa-
tional therapy.
Maternity facilities are on the fifth floor. The air-condi-
tioned labor rooms, the delivery rooms, and the auxiliary
rooms are effectively arranged. The main nursery, and the
isolation nursery are fitted with picture windows, where
shows are staged for those who have been admitted. When
the curtain rises, the actors and actresses perform; or don't
All other space on the upper floors is given over to rooms
for the patients. A typical room has walls of a pleasing pastel
shade, a white ceiling, and a floor covering of combination
tile; two straight-backed chairs and a reclining chair; a com-
mode, on top of which rests a telephone and a receptacle for
drinking water; a clothes locker recessed in the wall, and a
perform, in bassinets of clear plastic, on wheels.
74 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
bureau. The lavatory is in a separate room, but the wash basin
is placed in the main room. All "high-low" beds are adjust-
able, having sides that can be raised or lowered and are fitted
for the attachment of treatment accessories. An oxygen pipe
leads through the walls to every room. Over the head of the
bed are a radio speaker and a light that is adjustable for
directing its rays up or down.
Available to all patients and their visitors (except on the
maternity floor) is a reception area, glazed to admit ultra-
violet light and equipped with comfortable furniture. Every
floor for patients has a nurses' station and utility room.
Ground Floor and Basements
An Emergency Receiving Room, conveniently located at
driveway level near a side entrance, is ready with emergency
examination tables for those who are suddenly ill or injured.
Rest and waiting rooms adjoin the examination room. (Ac-
cident cases brought to the hospital during 1955 numbered
4,578.
From the start Physical Therapy has held a prominent
place at the sanitarium, and its value is confirmed in the
present elaborate equipment for physical rehabilitation.
Hubbard hydro tanks for exercise under water; various
gymnasium apparati, a stationary "bicycle," therapeutic lamps
and aids in walking are among the appliances that help to re-
educate muscles and return them to strength and coordina-
tion.
Exercise under water has proved especially effective for
muscular debility in its various forms. The resistive character-
istics of water make it the most suitable medium for this
exercise, for which reason swimming often is recommended
for those recovering from polio.
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 75
The Pharmacy contains a $10,000 inventory of drugs and
pharmaceuticals that are dispensed by registered pharmacists.
Prescriptions are filled at any hour of day or night.
Auxiliary Departments
At the Central Supply section, sutures and other operat-
ing room supplies are sterilized, stored, and delivered as
required.
All major Kitchen equipment is of stainless steel. Hot
meals are kept hot while en route from the kitchen to the
patients' room in pre-heated, sealed packs. Cooking is by
gas heat, and all baking is done on the premises. Frozen foods
are used extensively; more of the food is frozen than canned.
Fresh vegetables are plentiful in season. A separate, smaller
kitclien prepares dietetic meals.
The Housekeeping department comprises the laimdry
with its large washers, extractors, tumblers, and ironers, as
well as the linen supply section.
In the Stock Room a great variety of hospital, building
maintenance, and shop supplies are kept in storage ready for
use on requisition. They include frozen foods, non-perish-
able foods, and anesthetic gases. A small print shop is located
in one corner of the stock room. It prepares about 50 dif-
ferent printed forms for hospital use.
Heat, Water, and Steam are provided by three 300 horse
power boilers located in the sub-basement. The air condi-
itioning units are there as well as the repair shops.
Throughout the interior there is a general impression of
light without glare and of thorough ventilation. That faint
medicinal aroma so long associated with hospitals is com-
pletely absent. The decor is pleasingly functional. There are
few places for dust to collect. The building is highly fire-
76 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
resistive. There is an agreeable aura of quiet efficiency. It is
altogether cheerful.
Mrs. O. W. Dynes, so well-known in garden club circles,
selected and supervised the planting of shrubs around the
circular drive and in the yard. As described by A. W. Vande-
man of the hospital staff, they consist of "hicks yew, cockspur
hawthome, wards yew, bigleaf wintercreeper, Japanese yew,
cotoneaster, Alpine currant, and many stands of floribunda
roses," all spaced and arranged by an expert.
The dedication exercises on May 8, 1955, were held in
the new church. It was a beautiful spring day and so many
attended that extra chairs were provided on the lawn across
Oak Street from the church. A public address system enabled
those outside to hear the proceedings.
Following a greeting of welcome by M. L. Rice, president
of the Board of Directors, there was an address by Charles
F. Kettering on the subject "The Hospital and the Com-
munity," and the dedicatory address by Doctor Theodore R.
Flaiz, secretary, Medical Department, at Seventh-day Ad-
ventist headquarters in Washington, D. C.
Afterward, there was open house throughout the new
building. A film on cancer was shown, accompanied by vari-
ous exhibits and a tour of the facilities.
As the year 1956 proceeds, it brings announcement of a
comprehensive medical center building to be erected in the
village of Hinsdale by the Kettering Family Foundation. The
building will include a conference and projection room, a
medical library and medical exhibits, as well as doctor's
offices. Undoubtedly it will serve as a further link between
the hospital and the local medical fraternity.
As this book goes to press, the framework of a new pro-
fessional women's residence rises on Elm Street just west of
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital 77
the main building. Similar in design and materials to the
main hospital, this new unit will house the graduate nurses
and other professional women of the institution. The cost, in-
cluding furnishings, will exceed $500,000, and funds have
been made up from private gifts, a Ford foimdation grant,
and church organizations.
The cost of hospital care is rising, and that is true at
Hinsdale as elsewhere. From 1946 to 1954 the consumers
price index rose 37.6 per cent. In the same period hospital
costs rose 132 per cent. From the patient's point of view, the
rise has partly been offset by the shortening of his stay in the
hospital, but obviously that relief has its limits. The reason
for the rise in cost is the personal nature of hospital service.
Mechanization, automation, have been applicable to hospital
work only in a very limited degree.
In 1904 the land on which the hospital stands was
acquired by the Hinsdale Sanitarium and Benevolent Asso-
ciation for $16,000. A recent estimate places the value of land
and buildings at $5,500,000. During the interim about 95,000
patients have been admitted, many thousands of infants have
successfully been born, and upward of half a million treat-
ments have been administered to the outpatients. As if to
echo, in substance, the song "The Promise of Life," that was
sung at the first dedication, every resource, both physical and
spiritual, has been invoked in the patients' behalf.
Regardless of its mounting accomplishments, it cannot
be said that the Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital has arrived
at a destination. Far from it. In years to come it will be wel-
coming the ill in larger numbers, it will be seeking and find-
78 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
ing better knowledge, implements, and facilities with which
to treat them, and it will continue to administer to human
needs under the guiding hand and spirit of the Great
Physician.
Postscripts
On Sunday, March 11, 1956, Dr. Mary Paulson-
Neall, co-founder of the Sanitarium, died in California at
the age of 83. On Thursday of the same week she rested in
the church across the street. With the soft winter sunlight
illuminating the picture window of "Christ at the Door,"
Elder Lawrence Scott, pastor of the Hinsdale Seventh-day
Adventist church, delivered the funeral sermon. Mr. Larson,
Sanitarium administrator read the obituary. At the close of
the service the student nurses, all in uniform, led by Mrs.
Evelyn Nelson, director of the school Dr. Mary founded,
filed past the bier, preceding other friends and former co-
workers. A blanket of pastel flowers covered the gray casket.
It was flanked on both sides by an arrangement of roses from
her many friends. Burial was in Bronswood Cemetery, next
to Dr. David.
A plaque is attached to a wall of the lobby. It reads:
In Appreciation
of
Mrs. E. W. Kettering
Whose untiring efforts and
devoted work helped make
this hospital a reality.
September 27, 1953
(79)
80 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
This message was received from Mr. W. B. Hill, President
of the Illinois Conference, upon the occasion of Miss Anna
Pedersen's fifty-second anniversary as an employee of the
hospital :
"Hand in hand with your God you have served in an
institution where the suffering are relieved, the sick healed,
and troubled hearts made peaceful. What compensation you
must have as the Great Physician smiles upon you for the
fifty-two years of unselfish service.
"May the evening of your life be happy as you reflect upon
your past, so nobly played, in bringing the healing balm of
Hinsdale to so many in need."
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X-ray Therapy
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Vacuum Heat-controlled Meal Service
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Personnel
J. D. Smith
W. B. Hill
A. C. Larson
C. M. Bunker
Elton Dessain
W. W. Frank, M.D.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Vice-President
Secretary-Treasurer
G. E. Hutches
H. W. Kibble
Arthur Kiesz
H. A. Shepard
O. T. Moline
W. A. Nelson
F. O. Rittenhouse
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS
1904 - 1957
Dr's David and Mary Paulson — Co-founders
H. E. Hyot
A. C. Gaylord
Julius Paulson
C. E. Rice
L. V. Roberson
Verah MacPherson
W. E. Abernathy
L. M. Bowen
G. C. Hoskins
B. C. Marshall
R. H. Hervig
N. C. Taylor
A. C. Larson
(93)
94
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
MEDICAL STAFF- 1957
R. A. Matthies, President
H. M. Stanton, Vice-President
J. V. Burke, Secretary-Treasurer
Active
R. R. Allen
W. D. Allers
Arthur Arnold
G. O. Baunurucker
T. J. Benton
F. M. Brayshaw
W. E. Bretz
J. V. Burke
A. P. Dado
K. L. Duncombe
N. M. Frank
W. W. Frank
P. G. Fredrickson
T. P. Froehlke
J. A. Gardiner
G. E. Guemmer
R. E Hall
A J. Hospers
J. L. Hrdina
Paul Immerwahr
R. W. Janda
F. R. Johnson
E. W. Kallal
R. E. LaRue
G. I. Leff
A. H. Lueders
G. R. Luke
R. F. Manning
R. A. Matthies
G. G. Moran
R. W. Nauman
B. L. Rodkinson
J. A. Schoenberger
C. E. Schultz
J. P. Schweitzer
F. E. Snapp
H. M. Stanton
F. M. Sylvester
Maya S. Unna
Victoria B. Vacha
B. F. Ward
N. T. Welford
M. G. Westmoreland
A. F. Wiersma
E. F. Worsley
R. C. Youngberg
Associate
C. L. Anderson
E. M. Christensen
J. W. Payne
Courtesy
Margaret Austin
O. D. Baab
E. S. Baxter
A. E. Bricker
J. A. Conner
J. W. Ertl
D. J. Freriks
T. P. Froehlke
T. W. Hill
Gerda Irving
F. R. Johnson
E. J. Justema
R. T. Kearney
Alexander Kolomijcew
Abbie R. Lukens
T. C. McDougal
G. G. Moran
W. A. Moore
B. B. Newman
E. E. Nyman
R. C. Oldfield, Jr.
C. J. O'Neill
L. F. Peterson
R. J. Schilling
L. W. Schneider
W. J. Schnute
J. A. Schoenberger
J. P. Schweitzer
F. F. Shewmake
Harkishen Singh
Fred Sinkovits
R. M. Steinberg
M. J. Summerville
G. R. Swanson
B. F. Ward
Norman Young
Consulting
A. G. Anderson
O. D. Baab
L. A. Baker
J. W. Clark
W. S. Dye
Frank Jirka
F. R. Johnson
T. F. Kruchek
P. R. Latta
R. P. Mackay
E. D. Maxon
J. J. Moore
Charles Mrazek
G. H. Mundt, Jr.
H. R. Oberhill
C. J. O'Neill
R. W. Poborsky
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
95
W. J. Schnute
Louis Schukz
Robert Stokes
W. S. Walsh
Honorary
R. D. Barclay
Dentists
R. A. Anderson
E. J. Budill
L. M. Butler
N. B. Carle
S. W. Cotter
K. W. Grundset
DEPARTMENT SUPERVISORS
Administrator
Assistant Administrator
Office Manager
Personnel Director R: Public
Relations
Purchasing Agent
Chaplain
Director of Nurses
Assistant Director of Nurses
Educational Director
Supervisors:
Central Supply
Physical Therapy
Men's Hydrotherapy
Operating Room
Maternity Floor
Medical Floors
Surgical Floor
Psychiatric Floor
Pediatrics
Anesthesia
Plant Operations
Chief Engineer
Pharmacy
Laboratory
X-Ray
Record Office
Admitting and Information
Dietitian
Chef and Steward
Executive Housekeeper
A. C. Larson
O. T. Moline
R. L. Pelton
A. W. Vandeman
R. K. McAllister
D. W. Anderson
Mrs. Evelyn Nelson
Mrs. Eva Maude Martin
Gladys Passebois
Mary Yamazaki
Stella C. Peterson
L. E. Peterson
Elsie Wendth
Edna Shelburg
Evelyn Wiik
Viola Carleton
Vesta Peterson
Willma Pekinpaugh
Lela Harper
V. P. Lovell
C. I. Flyte
Harry Fouts
L. C. Mapes
E. L. Graff
Mrs. Erma McDole
Eva Pitcher
Mrs. Doris Batchelder
Robert Hallifax
Mrs. Alvia Montgomery
96 Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
YEARS OF LOYAL SERVICE
50 years or more
Pedersen, Anna (53 yrs.)
20 years or more
Flyte, Clarence (25 yrs.)
Harper, Lela (22 yrs.)
Heisel, Ruth (24 yrs.)
Peterson, Cora 24 yrs.)
Peterson, Lorenz (24 yrs.)
Peterson, Stella (22 yrs.)
Saturley, Otha (20 yrs.)
Shelburg, Edna (29 yrs.)
Wiik, Evelyn (24 yrs.)
Graff, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin (20 yrs.)
Mead, Mr. and Mrs. Melville (20 yrs.)
NURSES' ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
809 Graduates since 1908 — Active members now 527.
Object No. 1: To enable us, through an organized body, more ef-
fectively to guard and foster the principles and ideals which called
us into this profession.
OFFICERS
President Miss Marydean Rayborn 1956
Vice President Miss Dolores Elmer 1955
Recording Secretary Mrs. Erma Series Associate
Corresponding Secretary Mrs. Ruth Miller-Busch 1954
Asst. Corresponding Secy. Mrs. Vesta Bishop Associate
Treasurer Mrs. Beatrice Jonhston Associate
OTHER SANITARIUM ORGANIZATIONS
BLUE FEATHER— Open to any employee who wishes to join.
Members pay dues toward a fund used to buy remembrances for em-
ployees who ar€ ill and for gifts of appreciation to older employees
leaving.
EMPLOYEE COUNCIL — A committee of employees chosen from
various departments without respect to job held, who assist in directing
employee activities.
CAMERA CLUB — This is a hobby club which teaches and pro-
motes good photography.
Index
Abernatliy, W. E 41
Academy, the 34, 39, 43, 49
Aides, nurses 55
Alkire, Laura 27
Alumni Association officers 96
Alumni, School of Nursing 70
American College of Surgeons
44, 51
American Medical Missionary
College 12
Anderson, B. N. Jr., Mrs 61
Andre, H 41
Andre, Rosa 27, 70
Andrews, Dr. L. L 53
Arbogast, George 60, 61
Auxiliary departments 75
Barber, Dr. Ora 34
Barber, Walter, Mrs 68
Barclay, J. S 55
Barclay, Dr. R. D 53
Battle Creek Sanitarium
10, 13, 14, 32
Baumrucker, George O., Mrs. 69
Bebb, Dr. W. S 53
Beckwith, C. G 15
Birkenstock, Dr. C. F 44
Black, Dr. P. G 53
Bliss, W. E 49
Bloum, H. P 55
Board of Directors, 1956 93
Bowen, L. M 49
Brayshaw, Dr. F. M 51, 55
Bretz, Dr. E. W 53
Brick addition, 1919 53, 38, 70
Bricker, Dr. A. E 53
Bunker, Jane K., Mrs 61
Campbell, M. V 53
Carleton, V 55
Carr, Dr. J. W 53
Carroll, Walter 60
Carter, Judge O. N 22
Charitable organizations,
contemporary 46
Chatficld, Louise 55
Chief executive officers,
1904 - 1956 93
Childrens' clinic 64, 69
Childs, Hon. R. A 22
Christian, J. W 42, 44, 47, 49
Christian, Lewis H 18
Church, new S.D.A 70
Civic Advisory Council 60
Clarke, Dr. J. C 53
Clarke, John D 60
Clough, Caroline L. 18, 27, 41, 52
Clough, Dr. W. C 41
Clowes, Dr. L. C 53
Cobb, M., Mrs 42
Coombs, Samuel 11
Corner-stone 63
Cost of hospitalization 77
Covert, William 27
Cummings, Jay W 18
Dahl, O. J 55
David, Doris 41
Dedeker, Louise 41
Dedication, 1905 22
Dedication, 1955 76
Department supervisors, 1956.. 95
Depression, effects of 47-50
Dessain, Charles 42
Dick, Dr. P. G 53
Diphtheria epidemic 29
Discipline 39
Discounting procedure 43
Dyas, Dr. F. G 51, 53
Dynes, O. W., Mrs 76
Ehrler, Dr. G. G 53
Emergency room 74
Employee organizations, 1956.. 96
(97)
98
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
Entertainment 23, 29, 34, 69, 70
Family Night 69, 70
Farm, near La Grange 46, 69
Faurot, William S., Mrs 67, 68
Feldott, Dr. H. R 53
Financing of the new
hospital 57-62
Flaiz, Theodore R 76
Fogarty, Auwell, Mrs 68
Ford Foundation 77
Ford, Harold, Mrs 67, 68
Ford, H. E 38, 42, 49, 54
Ford, Newell 60
Foreman, Myrtle 55
Fowler, Volney B 60
Frank, Dr. W. W 49, 51, 53
Fugard, Burt, Wilkinson & Orth 59
Fund-raising committee 60
Galbraith, Norman 61
Gardiner, Dr. J. A 53
Garrett, R. U 41, 49
Gaston, Lucy Page 28
Gaylord, A. C 27, 28
Gaylord, A. C, Mrs 34
Gift Shop 68
Good Samaritan Inn 20, 39
Gourley, Dr. W. W 53
Graefe, A. C 42
Graff, Edwin 55
Green, E. L 55
Griesman, Fred 55
Gunsaulus, Dr. Frank 27
Harper, Lela 55
Harrison, R. M 55
Harter, E. E 49
Heppes, J. 0 62
Hervig, Robert H 59, 71
Herwehe, Helen 55
Hess, C. W 41
Hill, W. B 80
Hinsdale, Illinois 16
Hinsdale Sanitarium & Benevo-
lent Association 16, 18, 19
Hinsdale Village Players 62
Holden, W. H 49, 53
HoHister, M. A 44, 49
Home for girls 24, 27, 39, 43
Hoopes, L. A 41, 42
Hoopes, Vera 41
Hopkins, Dr. J. W 41
Ilopwood, Frank, Mrs 67
Hoskin, G. S 49, 54
Hospers, Dr. A. J 53
Howard, Pearl W 26
Hoyt, Horace E 18, 25, 28
Hrdina, Joseph L., Mrs 69
Janda, R. W., Mrs 69
Jeffers, Nellie 34
Jeffers, Rex 42
Jessie Tupper Hall 70
Johnson, A. W 55
Johnson, F. F 34
Johnson, F. F., Mrs 34
Johnson, Lawrence Jr., Mrs 68
Keller, Fred J 60
Kellogg, Dr. John H.
10-12, 18, 22, 27, 46
Kendall, Mary 66
Kettering, Charles F 76
Kettering, Eugene W 58, 60
Kettering, Eugene W., Mrs.
58, 61, 66, 67, 68, 79
Kettering Foundation 76
Kimbell, C. B 14-20
Kitchen 55
Klose, Amy 55
Klug, Alfred 41
Laboratories 72
Lake Union Conference 53, 56, 57
Lamson, J. G 38, 42
Lane, Richard 11, 28
Larson, A. C 71
LaRue, Dr. R. E 51
Leff, Dr. C. J 53
Lenheim, L. E 55, 61
Life Boat City Center 42
Life Boat Magazine 13, 45, 46
Life Boat Mission 10, 45, 46, 47
Livingston, Parke C 60
Lord, Judith Ann 64
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
99
LowTy, Clyde 18
Lueders, Dr. A. H 51. 53
Mackey, Tom 11
Magill. Perry 60
Magill, Perry, Mrs 67
Magoon, Lauretta A 26
Mallernee, V. J 41
Manning, Dr. R. F 53
Manor, Norine M., Mrs 61
Marhoefer, E. H., Jr 62
Marshall, B. C 55
Martin, Dr. Franklin H 52
Maternity Department 73
Matthies, Dr. R. A 53
McClean, Herbert, Mrs 68
Medical Auxiliary 68
Medical Staff, organization 51
Medical Staff, 1957 94
Mesick, Mae H 26
Metcalf, Gordon 61
Millar, Neal, Mrs 68
Moline, O. T 71
Moore, Dr. J. J 53
Morris, E. A 41, 44, 49
Morse, Dr. J. F 41
National Hospital Day 70
Neall, Dr. J. H 41, 44
Nelson, William 0 61
Nether)', J. J 53, 54, 55
Nurses' dormitory 70
Nurses' training 23, 41, 43, 69
Oak Brook 62, 68
Occupational therapy 30, 73
Opening of neAv hospital 63
Osborne, C. R 59, 61, 62
Otis, F. J 18
Pacific Garden Mission 10
Patients20, 21,32. 34. 38, 57,
63, 69, 77
Paulson, Dr. David 9-35, 45, 70
Paulson Hall 70
Paulson, Julius 37, 38, 41
Paulson, Dr. Mary 12, 18, 27, 52, 79
Paulson Memorial Hall 12
Paulson, N. W 18, 42. 44. 47. 49
Pearsall, R. E 60
Pearsons, D. K 25, 26
Pedersen, Anna 18, 70, 96
Pediatric Department 72
Peterson. Dr. P. G 53
Peterson, Dr. P. L 53
Peterson, Stella 55
Physical therapy 74
Poliomyelitis epidemic, 1949 58, 59
Poliomyleitis, equipment.... 59, 73
Pratt, Peggy 62
Prisoners, work among.. I 1, 30, 45
Professional women's residence 77
Properties, value of, 1956 77
Psychiatric Department 73
Ragsdale, Edna 41
Razing of old buildings 64
Rice, C. E 49
Rice, M. L 62, 76
Richards, Charles 63
Roberts, Arnie 55
Sadler, W. S 18. 23, 24, 29
Sanitarium movement, early.... 33
Santee, Lillian 27
Schilt, Clarence, Mrs 69
Schultz, Dr. C. E 53
Serns, M. H 29
Service, years of 96
Seventh-day Adventists 32, 33
Shelburg, Edna 55, 64
Simpson, G. H 44
Small, Dr. C. S 53
Spanish influenza 37
Spohr, R., Mrs 55
Stanton, Herbert, Mrs 69
Stevenson, D. C 42
Store, general 35
Surgery 71
Swanson, Hannah 26. 27, 42
Symonds, N. M 62
Taylor, Norman C 62, 71
Treatments, early 35
Treatments, present day 71-75
Tupper, Jessie S 44, 55
University of Illinois 64
100
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital
Vandeman, A. W 76 Willstead, Dr. O. D.
Van Dorn, E. B 18, 27
Van Verst, Dr. P. H 53
Walter, W. J 41
Ward, J. Mackenzie, Mrs 67
Weber, Dr. F. S 53
Welford, Dr. N. T 53
West, Dr. W. K 53
Wiik, Evelyn 55
53
Wilson, Hon. Alonzo E 22
Winchell, M. A 18, 27, 45
Wolfsen, Dr. W. H. 28, 30, 34, 37
Women's Service Board.. 66-68, 69
World Wars,
influence of 37, 38, 54, 56
Worsley, Dr. E. F 53
Wright, S. E 49
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