USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Meriden > Years of Meriden 150: published in connection with the observance of the city's sesquicentennial, June 17-23, 1956 > Part 22
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The next important step was taken in December of the same year, when a meeting was held at which Horace C. Wilcox, Seth J. Hall, Charles Parker, Walter Hubbard, Nathaniel L. Bradley, E. J. Doolittle, the Rev. J. H. Chapin, Levi E. Coe, and George R. Curtis were elected directors of the newly formed corporation.
Six years were spent in settling upon a suitable site. The first location chosen was the Camp property, an octagonally shaped house on Franklin Street. But negotiations to purchase it were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, 18 physicians, irked by the delay, signed a petition urging the construction of an entirely new building.
In 1892, after long deliberations, the directors authorized the purchase of the Jared R. Cook home on Cook Avenue, a mansard- roofed house built about 1872. The hospital continued to use this structure until it was torn down in 1923 to make room for new construction at that time. The house was extensively remodeled for hospital purposes, and various civic organizations participated in furnishing it, including the City Mission Society, the Women's Christian Temperance Union, and societies of the First Congregational Church. Dedication took place December 21, 1892.
The Women's Auxiliary, with an executive committee of 15 members, had an important part in the operation of the hospital. The membership of the committee was eventually increased to 40, and it continued to supervise the management of the hospital until 1920, when the institution had grown so large that the by-laws were changed to create an executive board of five members of the board of directors to take charge.
The first medical staff was appointed with the aid of the Meriden Medical Society in March 1894. Among the well-known attending physicians and surgeons were Doctors E. T. Brad- street, H. W. Delesdernier, J. D. Eggleston, N. Nickerson, S. Otis, A. W. Tracy, A. H. Fenn, F. P. Griswold, O. J. D. Hughes, H. A. Meeks, A. Ploetz, E. W. Smith, J. L. Gartland, E. W. Pierce, E. A. Wilson, F. H. Monroe, G. A. Peck, and William Galvin, together with a consulting staff of Doctors G. H. Wilson, C. H. S. Davis, John Tait, and E. C. Newport.
The first matron was Mrs. Alice Baumann, who was succeeded
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in 1896 by Miss Bessie Livingston Webb. At that time, the medical staff was given full control over all nurses.
An addition to the hospital was completed in 1905, providing an operating room, two wards, four private rooms, a diet kitchen, a large basement, and living quarters on the top floor for the staff. Again, many civic organizations assisted by providing equipment and furnishings.
In 1910, N. L. Bradley, then president of the board of directors, and Mrs. Bradley purchased a house at 171 Cook Avenue and donated it to the hospital, completely furnished, to provide quarters for the nurses of the institution. Clarence P. Bradley, their son, donated $5,000 in 1915 for an addition to the nurses' home.
The first X-ray equipment was installed in 1913 under the direction of Dr. L. F. Wheatley.
In 1918, Miss Bessie Etter was appointed to the newly created position of superintendent of the Nurses' Training School. The need for additional nursing accommodations was met in 1920, when a house next to the nurses' home was purchased, remodeled, and opened as a dormitory. Two more homes, at 12 and 16 King Street, were purchased the same year.
By 1920, the need for enlarging the hospital had become urgent, and a campaign to raise $300,000 for this purpose was begun. The goal was oversubscribed by more than $300,000. A Wallingford man, Edwin H. Brown, was made an incorporator in recognition of Wallingford's contribution, and Wallingford has had a voice in the hospital's direction since that time.
The new building was completed and occupied in 1924.
By 1929, the hospital had again outgrown its accommodations for nurses. Clarence P. Bradley saved the situation with a gift of $150,000 for a new nurses' home which was constructed in 1929 and named after the donor who had made it possible.
The tremendous growth of the Meriden Hospital was reflected in its financial statement for the last fiscal year, ending September 30, 1955, which showed a net operating revenue of $1,388,727.98. Operating expenses were $1,429,441.50. The operating loss of $40,713.52 was offset by other income of $72,233.24, including state and municipal grants, the Community Fund, endowment funds, and miscellaneous. The hospital has nearly 400 full and
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part-time employees, exclusive of students in the Nurses' Training School.
Warren L. Mottram, a Wallingford man, is president of the Meriden Hospital. The medical board is headed by Dr. Michael J. Conroy. Dr. David J. Cohen is director of medicine; Dr. Francis Giuffrida, director of surgery; Dr. Hoyt C. Taylor, director of obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Richard Breck and Dr. Donald Badner are members at large. Howard F. Saviteer has been business administrator since 1945.
Practically all of the physicians in Meriden and many in Wallingford have staff appointments, and use the hospital's facilities.
WORLD WAR II VETERANS' MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
Even before World War II had ended, the question of a suitable memorial to those who had given their lives had been raised here, and discussion developed on all sides.
Mayor Francis R. Danaher took the first step toward the solution of the many problems in connection with this subject when he appointed on March 13, 1946 a committee to recommend what he called a "living memorial." William H. Rybeck, a lieu- tenant colonel in the U. S. Army during the second World War was named to head this committee, which consisted of represen- tatives of 12 veterans' organizations and a 47-man citizens' group. A poll of this committee endorsed the "living memorial" idea, but there were many proposals as to the form which it should take.
In July 1946, it was decided to take a poll of the public to obtain guidance. A planning and survey committee, a finance committee, and a publicity committee were also set up.
Of all the proposals which had been submitted, the proposal to erect a Memorial Hospital gained the strongest support.
After months of exhaustive study, the committee voted 42 to 6 in favor of a Memorial Hospital. Incorporated in the plan pro- posed was a Memorial Chapel, in which would be placed, eventu- ally, photographs of the 147 Meriden men who lost their lives in the conflict; the photos to be as nearly alike in format as possible.
The original plan was to build a small 100-bed hospital, but the plan was revised, reducing the number of beds to 50, with the idea that the grounds selected as a site should be large enough to permit expansion.
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The United Veterans' Council and the allied group of citizens which had been incorporated in December 1951 as the Memorial Hospital Association proceeded carefully, guided by advice from many sources. A site was chosen on Paddock Avenue, which was purchased by the association and donated to the City of Meriden. Douglas Orr, well-known architect, a native of Meriden, drew the plans. A campaign for pledges was started, and approximately a quarter of the city's population agreed to contribute.
Through the association, a bill was presented to the state legis- lature, authorizing the City of Meriden to build and operate the hospital, and to appropriate $600,000 for that purpose, the money to be provided through a bond issue. This special act was passed May 15, 1951, subject to approval in a city-wide referendum. The voters of Meriden endorsed the project in the referendum of June 26, 1951. Ground for the hospital was broken in November 1952.
Movable equipment to the value of $74,000 was to be supplied by the association. An amendment to the original act later authorized the purchase of movable equipment from the balance of the $600,000 avails of the bond issue after payment for the hospital's construction.
The system set up for the hospital's government was that it be managed by a board of trustees appointed by the Court of Common Council. The five-member board was to serve for five years, and the terms of members were staggered to create a vacancy for a new chairman each year. The board was to serve as a building committee during construction, with the help of the city engineer, the building inspector, and two members of the council, one from each major political party.
An advisory committee of not more than 30 was a feature of the act's provisions, but, after its appointment, members com- plained that it was not called into consultation by the trustees for many months.
Recently, as a result of these complaints, the advisory com- mittee was activated, and provided with a constitution and by-laws as a separate body. It has the power to advise without being summoned, and to submit to the council, at the close of each calendar year, a report explaining its activities and the advice offered. The term of each member of this board was set at three years, with the terms of 10 members expiring each year,
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to be replaced by 10 others.
The equipment fund has been swelled by the proceeds of minstrel shows and other events. The Association on June 26, 1951 organized the Ladies Auxiliary, which was later incorporated as the official Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. Members of the Auxiliary have made large contributions through the proceeds of card parties and entertainments held under their auspices.
More than 2,000 patients at the time of this writing had received treatment at the Memorial Hospital, since it was dedicated July 18, 1954, and many paid tributes to the quality of surgical, medical, and nursing care rendered by it. Dr. David P. Smith, first president of the Memorial Hospital Association, is chief of staff.
The Memorial Chapel idea was carried out as planned, and the photographs of the Meriden men who died in World War II confront all those who enter the hospital. As a "living memorial" the hospital is representative of the spirit of the community which it serves.
THE BRADLEY HOME
The Bradley Home for the Aged, 320 Colony Street, was made possible through a bequest in the will of the late Clarence P. Bradley, who died in 1935. He left his entire property on Colony Street, where his own residence was located, as a site for the home, and set up funds for its establishment and maintenance. In his will, he expressed the wish that the dwelling be revamped as a permanent home for "aged and indigent men and women inhabitants of this state, preferably those belonging to Meriden."
The home was chartered by the state in March 1936, and was opened for residents the following month. The board of trustees later acquired land for a new quadrangle by purchasing for $425,000 the Wilcox property just to the north. On it stood the home built by Horace C. Wilcox and occupied for years by his grandson, Roy C. Wilcox.
New buildings were erected to house 80 residents. The cost was defrayed entirely from the funds of the Bradley estate.
Acceptance of applicants is based on need, and also on the ability of the individual to adjust to the living conditions at the home, which have been made as pleasant as possible, with a minimum of regulations.
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The home itself, and the grounds which surround it, are exceptionally beautiful.
Howard E. Houston, later elected mayor, came from the New York Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor to become the first superintendent of the Bradley Home.
During Mr. Houston's military service in World War II, Mrs. Wilma M. Frost was placed in charge until his return. Mr. Houston returned to the position after his discharge from the service, and continued to function during his terms as mayor. Gov. John D. Lodge appointed him State Welfare Commissioner, but in December 1955 he resigned the commissionership and the superintendency of the Bradley Home to take an appointment as deputy director of the U. S. Foreign Operations Administration mission to India.
The present director of the Bradley Home is Dr. Cole B. Gibson, who took the position after his retirement as superinten- dent of Undercliff Sanatorium.
UNDERCLIFF HOSPITAL
Undercliff Hospital, until recently known as Undercliff Sana- torium, is a state institution, nestled protectively under the "hanging hills." The movement which led to its creation began here in 1907, instituted by members of the Central Labor Union, who were concerned about the increasing number of cases of tuberculosis among factory workers. A campaign to raise funds for a sanatorium was started. A tag day and three-day carnival in City Park in 1909 brought in some of the money needed - enough to make a start. The old almshouse off Capitol Avenue was used at first. In 1910, the institution was turned over to the jurisdiction of the State of Connecticut.
For the next ten years, Undercliff cared mainly for tubercular children, with advanced methods of treatment which won national recognition. Meanwhile, new buildings were constructed, and the institution was expanded in many ways. An infirmary was built in 1930. During the period of WPA projects, further additions were made, including a new administration building, hospital, school building, and nurses' quarters. The capacity of Undercliff was raised considerably at that time. Again the institution was caring mainly for adult patients.
From 1917 to 1954, Dr. Cole B. Gibson was superintendent
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and medical director. Under his administration, Undercliff grew from a small cluster of wooden buildings to its present large proportions. Pioneer studies in the causes and treatment of tuber- culosis were made during these years.
In 1954, a new chapter in Undercliff history began. The institution became the Undercliff Hospital unit of the Commission on the Care and Treatment of the Chronically Ill, Aged and Infirm. Dr. Paul Mason de la Vergne, who had been associated with Dr. Gibson for many years, was appointed as the new superintendent to succeed him upon his retirement.
Approximately 200 patients are currently receiving the benefits of the institution.
CONNECTICUT SCHOOL FOR BOYS
The Connecticut School for Boys is today an example of the many changes in theory and practice in the treatment of juvenile delinquency. The methods which prevailed when it was founded more than 100 years ago have completely disappeared.
The school was started in 1850 at a time when there were only three or four similar institutions in the entire country. The General Assembly in 1851 provided $10,000 for the purchase of a site in Meriden. The land on Colony Street just south of the present Bradley Home property, was purchased, and the first building was erected. Many local citizens contributed.
The first boys were admitted in 1854. They were housed in five cottages, each holding 50 boys. George E. Howe was the first director. The boys were kept under rigid supervision and treated as prisoners, with harsh discipline administered for infractions of the rules.
Manual training was introduced in 1900, when Charles Merriam Williams, a superintendent with more liberal theories, was at the head of the school. The boys wore gray pantaloons and blue jackets turned out in the school's workshops.
In 1921, the legislature appropriated $530,000 for improvements at the school. This was the beginning of a new system of housing in cottages with a more homelike atmosphere than that provided previously.
However, charges of cruelty and incompetence were leveled against the school in 1930, while Edward Boyd was director. After his forced resignation, Roy L. Mclaughlin, the present
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director was appointed to the position, and a new regime began.
One of the first changes under Mr. Mclaughlin was in the form of clothing worn by the boys. No longer were they forced to wear a garb which made them conspicuous.
The extensive building program instituted a little later provided the school with an entirely new campus, which was attractively landscaped.
New educational courses were instituted. Academic and vocational training were combined to prepare the boys to become self-supporting and good citizens after leaving the school. Creative expression was encouraged. The print shop began to publish a school paper, the Hilltop Hubbub, which has been continued.
Today, the methods employed at the Connecticut School for Boys have made it a model widely imitated throughout the country. And most of its graduates have made good use of their training to build successful, law-abiding careers.
CURTIS MEMORIAL LIBRARY
As early as 1796, Meriden had a small subscription library with a total of 153 volumes, but it was discontinued in 1809, and there are no records to indicate the extent of its growth by that time. Several other attempts to start a public library during the nine- teenth century failed. The first successful effort occurred in 1898, when the Meriden Public Library was established with funds raised by the Thursday Morning Club, an organization of Meriden women which is still in existence. They sponsored a series of successful lectures to make the project possible. On January 30, 1899, they opened a reading room in a house on the site of the Masonic Temple.
In 1900, Mrs. Augusta Munson Curtis, widow of George R. Curtis, offered to spend $5,000 on the site for a public library and to contribute $25,000 toward the erection of the building if the city would agree to appropriate $3,000 annually for main- tenance. A special town meeting on March 12, 1901 accepted the offer, and the Curtis Memorial Library was erected at the location chosen, at the corner of East Main and Pleasant Streets at a cost of approximately $750,000 for building, site, and equipment. The design by Richard Williams, New Haven architect, is classical, in the Greek tradition.
Miss Corinne A. Deshon was the first librarian. She had been
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in charge of the previous Meriden Public Library, and was well equipped for the position which she filled until her retirement in 1927, when she was succeeded by Miss Martha Bartlett. Miss Bartlett served for 18 years, retiring in 1946. She was succeeded by Ransom L. Richardson, who undertook a program of expan- sion, the effects of which are still visible. James L. Hillard followed Mr. Richardson, and served until his acceptance of a position with the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. Miss Marion Cook is now in charge of the library's services.
The need for a branch library on the west side was stressed as early as 1930 by Miss Bartlett, but there were many delays before branch facilities were finally opened in September 1945 in the Professional Building at West Main and Maple Streets. Since its opening, this branch has more than doubled its original circulation of about 30,000 books annually. The library also maintains eight stations in the schools.
The use of the library has shown continuous gains in almost every category of circulated materials. In the city's annual report, published last year, the total circulation of volumes lent for home use was 231,035, and, for the whole year of 1955, this figure was materially increased. The library maintains a reference service, and is microfilming its newspaper files. A collection of musical recordings and a wide selection of art books are among the materials available in its departments. Its collection of children's books is among its more popular features. Large numbers of school children make use of its facilities.
THE CURTIS HOME
The Curtis Home on Crown Street was founded by the late Lemuel J. Curtis, who provided the funds for its construction. It was erected in conjunction with the work of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.
The first building was dedicated in 1884 as a home for children. Mr. Curtis died in 1888, leaving funds for the maintenance of the institution, and also making it possible to erect another building for the care of elderly women. The second structure was built in 1894.
In 1905 an addition was constructed as a facility for manual training for the boys in the home. The same building was later
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converted into a gymnasium. In 1950, it became a 25-bed infirmary for the women residents.
Thirty children and 36 women now live at the Curtis Home. A homelike atmosphere prevails at the institution, which is under the supervision of Miss Helen Stevens.
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CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Organizations
THE SCOPE of this volume does not permit a resumé of all Meriden organizations. There are scores of clubs, fraternities, church groups and other associations in addition to those mentioned in this chapter.
The histories presented here constitute only a limited selection, dictated largely by the arbitrary boundary of allotted space.
MERIDEN COMMUNITY FUND
The Meriden Community Fund was organized in 1929 by a group of public spirited citizens in recognition of the growing problem created by the multiplicity of fund-raising drives for local welfare organizations. The value of most of these causes was not questioned, but some of them were failing to obtain the support they deserved because appeals came too frequently. It was also becoming more and more difficult to round up volunteer canvassers, because many persons were being asked again and again during the same year to undertake this kind of work. The Community Fund, by combining the major appeals, was able to perform the same tasks much more effectively and, in addition, to furnish assurance to the public that its contributions would be carefully and openly accounted for and put to the best possible uses.
Since the year of its establishment, the Community Fund has raised $3,909,078 in its annual campaigns. The amount raised in the 1956 campaign was $181,450 for the 15 agency members, including the Boy Scouts, Boys' Club, Diocesan Bureau of Social Service, Family Service Association, Girl Scouts, Girls' Club, Meriden Hospital, Public Health and Visiting Nurse Association, "News from Home," Salvation Army, St. Rose Community Center, Y.M.C.A., Y.W.C.A., Meriden Community Fund and Council, U. S. O.
The active management of the Community Fund is controlled by its executive and budget committees which function at regular meetings and special meetings called throughout the year. The
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office is in charge of a salaried director, who is usually present to furnish detailed information at committee meetings. The budget committee scrutinizes thoroughly the budgets submitted by each agency member, and the campaign goal is arrived at after all budgets have been surveyed and approved.
On the board of directors, each agency in the Fund is represented, and there are also 25 members at large. The annual meeting is held in April, when officers are elected, together with six new board members to replace those whose terms are expiring.
Approximately 135 citizens make up advisory groups which are called into consultation during the year.
THE MERIDEN Y.M.C.A.
The Meriden Y.M.C.A. dates back to 1866, but its organization was probably influenced by the presence of the Meriden Young Men's Institute established in 1853. The Institute's outstanding accomplishment was to arrange for the visit of Henry Ward Beecher, famous orator, to deliver an address at the dedication of the Town Hall.
The first meetings of the Y.M.C.A. were held in the rooms of a local church, where lecture programs were presented. During the first year, $7,000 was raised to make it possible to obtain permanent quarters in the building which stood where Boynton's Inc. is now located. In 1872, a paid secretary was engaged to administer the program.
As the result of a compaign in 1875, the association obtained more than $20,000 to erect a new building on the same site as the quarters which it had been occupying. Contributors were assured that for 50 years, dating from the Y's establishment, it would be used only for Y.M.C.A. purposes.
In 1885 the first general secretary was hired. The position was filled by the janitor who had cared for the rooms. In the same year, a telephone was installed. Later, facilities for baths were provided, although the board feared they might overflow, causing damage to the building. In 1895, the first petition was presented for bowling alleys. The Lincoln Street tennis courts were added to the association's facilities in 1901.
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