Ride to remember
When your Ol' Editor serves as grand marshal in the annual Old Settlers' Day parade Saturday it will be a ride to remember.
The ride will give the opportunity to reflect on happenings more than a half century ago when Marion needed a new hospital.
After the money had been raised, the hospital constructed, and the Sisters began operating it; all appeared well. In fact, an addition was constructed, called "the west wing."
Then, things began to change. There were too few Sisters qualified as registered nurses. It became necessary for the Sisters to leave Marion. It was a devastating blow to the community, the prospect of losing the hospital. A week later Marion physician Charles R. Magee died, another devastating blow.
Talk around town was that St. Luke Hospital would become a nursing home — or, worse, stand empty.
The Peabody newspaper headline stated "St. Luke Hospital Doomed," but the Marion County Record refused to see it turned into a hay barn.
After many meetings to discuss the issue, an agreement was made. The Sisters would sell the hospital to an as yet not identified entity for a reasonable price of $117,754 (interest free) to be paid in 10 years.
A group of People met in the law office of Wheeler and Westerhaus to discuss the matter and see what could be done. It was serious. Unless something could be resolved, and soon, there'd be no hospital.
There's not enough space on this page to detail what happened. Volunteers worked hard and put in long hours. Petitions were passed throughout the east part of the county. They were moving.
In the meantime, the group realized that a district would need be formed to receive ownership of the hospital. Dr. R.R. Melton made the motion to organize a district.
But, Kansas law needed to be changed. Edwin G. "Pat" Westerhaus wrote a proposed law and state Sen. Bill Ward got it passed through the Kansas Legislature. Again, it was a great deal of work that required close cooperation and harmony.
Those who labored long and hard were numerous, no attempt will be made to list their names. But, some of the most stalwart included men such as Bill DuVall, Msgr. Arthur Tonne, Dr. Eugene Vinduska, Roger Morse. Bob Brooks, and others..
Petitions were passed in all precincts, and more than 51 percent of the voters approved in each. When opponents brought suit, that went to the Kansas Supreme Court, it was ruled that the petition drive was stronger than an election — with more than 51 percent approval in each precinct.
That was only the beginning. The hospital board needed to be organized. Five men represented the district board: Leo Reid at Florence, Bill Meyer and L.L. Hadsell at Marion, Albert Klenda at Pilsen, and Al Riffel at Lincolnville.
There were no funds to pay the bills. Banker Hadsell "beat the bushes" collecting past due accounts to provide operating capital.
The OE was named president and served in that capacity for several years until being defeated for re-election (another interesting story). Briefly: elections, normally with poor turnout, were routine. Not this time. A group of disgruntled employees, family, and friends were upset at the OE for supporting the administrator, Charles Halls, in a discipline matter. They showed up en masse. Your OE still has the ballots. He went down in flames after years of dedicated service. It took him decades to identify the handwriting on those ballots.
His defeat probably was a good thing. The job was stressful and took a great deal of time. Your OE was short of help at the newspaper in those days and burned the candle at both ends. Dr. T.C. Ensey remarked, at the time, "I'm mad as hell you were defeated, but as your physician I think it was good."
Years later, your OE got himself re-elected to the board (just to prove he could) and then resigned in favor of a younger person. It was an ego trip.
Your OE was here to help move patients from Marion Hospital to St. Luke in 1952, down that long narrow stairway. And he is the last surviving member of that original 1968 board. Which is why he will be riding at the head of the parade, Saturday. As he goes down the street, there'll be a lot of remembering.
— BILL MEYER
