138
139

1960–1969
140

u A new 2,000,000 volt X-ray machine was installed in 1961. The new machine, 

demonstrated by Col. Albert J. Bauer, the hospital’s Chief of Radiation Therapy 

and an X-ray Technician, weighs in at 6 tons. Its rays are absorbed by 36-inch 

concrete walls. The patient is alone in the room under treatment as the radiologist 

views the room from the outside via a specially constructed television camera and 

monitor. The machine can be elevated and tilted by the operator to any desired 

position. (Original caption)

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center History Office, PAO Historical Collection

After the shocking death of 

Major Walter Reed at age 

51 in 1902, the Walter Reed 

Memorial Association was formed. 

The association’s goal was to provide 

support to Reed’s widow, Emilie, 

and daughter, Blossom, and to erect a 

suitable memorial to Walter Reed. The 

first meeting was held in August 1903 

less than a year after Walter Reed’s 

death. A veritable “Who’s Who” of 

physicians, scientists, and business 

executives were present at this initial 

meeting. Among them were Dr. Daniel 

C. Gilman, President of Johns Hopkins 

University; Dr. William Welch, noted 

pathologist from Johns Hopkins; Dr. 

C.A. Herter, Professor of Pharmacology 

at Columbia University; Dr. Alexander 

Abbot, Professor of Hygiene at the 

University of Pennsylvania; Dr. L. 

F. Barker, Professor and Head of 

Anatomy at Rush Medical School at the 

University of Chicago; Dr. Edward G. 

Janeway of Bellevue and Dr. Charles P. 

Putman of Boston. Others in attendance 

were John Stewart Kennedy, capitalist 

and philanthropist, Morris J. Jessup, 

banker and Bishop William Lawrence.

The Walter Reed Memorial Association 

was not idle while Mrs. Reed and 

her daughter lived out their lives. 

The Association sponsored Walter D. 

McCaw to write a brief history 

of Reed’s life and work. It also 

commissioned a bust of Walter Reed 

by Mr. Hans Schuler of Baltimore. The 

Schuler bust remains on display in the 

lobby of Building 1. The group also 

undertook the preservation of Camp 

Lazear, outside Havana, where the 

classic yellow fever experiments took 

place. The Association assisted in the 

enshrinement of Walter Reed in the 

Hall of Fame of Great Americans of 

New York University. 

Dedicated on November 21, 1966, The 

Walter Reed Memorial included the de 

Weldon bust of Walter Reed and a 25 

foot high shaft of white-amoco cream 

marble with terrace steps of Georgian 

marble. The dedication was attended 

by Walter Reed’s granddaughter, 

Mrs. Daisy Reed Royce, and former 

President and Mrs. Eisenhower.

The end of Walter Reed Hospital’s sixth 

decade would bring the wounded of 

another war, this time in Southeast 

Asia, to its historic grounds. Wars 

always increase the need for qualified 

medical and nursing personnel and 

this one was no exception. Because of 

a lack of qualified nursing personnel, 

the Walter Reed Army Institute of 

Nursing (WRAIN) was opened in 

1968. A cooperative program with the 

University of Maryland, the WRAIN 

Title page - This aerial photograph, taken in the late 1960s, looks northwest and 

shows several new structures on the Walter Reed campus. The final permanent 

addition to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR — Building 40) 

can be seen on its west elevation. The Siler wing contained a nuclear reactor for 

medical research; the reactor was decommissioned in the late 1970s. Just north 

of the WRAIR building, the new addition to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) building can be seen under construction. South of Red Cross Hall 

and east of Building 7 are two new temporary buildings that exist to this day. On 

the third floor of the far eastern end of Building 1 can be seen what appears to 

be a dark line. This structure is actually a balcony or small porch that was added 

to the building during President Eisenhower’s 11-month inpatient stay at Walter 

Reed where he used to get fresh air and sunshine. It was removed about 20 

years later.

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Directorate of Public Works Archives

140

produced over 1,200 bachelors prepared 

nurses for the Army during its years of 

existence. With the Vietnam War over, 

WRAIN became “a luxury the Army 

could no longer afford” and was closed 

in 1978. 
141

On March 28, 1969, one of Walter Reed’s 

most famous patients died. Dwight D. 

Eisenhower had been hospitalized on 

Ward 8 in the Presidential Suite for 

11 months (May 1968 - March 1969) 

because of illness due to coronary 

artery disease and congestive heart 

failure. Mrs. Eisenhower resided in an 

adjacent room. He died following his 

14th episode of ventricular fibrillation 

on March 28, 1969 as there was no 

intervention, complying with his 

request. The beloved Ike, West Point 

Class of 1915, Supreme Commander 

Allied Expeditionary Force in World 

War II, General of the Army and twice 

elected President of the United States 

was dead at 78 years old.
142

p Source: National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP, WRAMC History Collection
143

p Little changed from the 1930s, the Memorial Chapel, scene of many weddings for patients and staff thirty years after 

its dedication. 

Source: National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP, WRAMC History Collection

p Postcard reads: “A beautiful spring view of the hospital and the Hoff Fountain.”

Source: Pierce Collection
144

p The traditional Easter Sunrise Service was well attended in 1965.

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center History Office

t An altar was set in front of the Gazebo for Easter Sunday in 1965.

Source: National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP, WRAMC History Collection
145

t The Dental Research Institute was 

dedicated March 3, 1962. Viewing the 

plaque at the dedication of the U.S. 

Army Institute of Dental Research, 

Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 

Washington, DC, are from left: Brig. 

General James H. Forsee, Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command; 

Col. George H. Timke, Jr., Director of 

the Institute; Maj. General Dwight E. 

Beach, Deputy Chief, U.S. Army Research and Development, who dedicated the Institution; and Maj. General 

Joseph L. Bernier, Chief of the Army 

Dental Corps. (Original caption) 

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center History Office

p Building 40, now known as Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) with new Siler addition that contained a 

nuclear reactor for medical research. This new wing, named after Col. Joseph F. Siler, MC, is visible on the right side of 

the complex. 

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center History Office, PAO Historical Collection
146

p Walter Reed painting presented to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Just sixty-one years to the day after the Yellow Fever Commission was formed, special tribute was paid to the commission’s leader, Maj. Walter Reed. The occasion was the 

presentation to the Medical Center bearing his name, of an original oil painting of the famed Army doctor. Shown above (left 

to right) are Col. Richard P. Mason, Director of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; Maj. General Clinton S. Lyter, 

Commanding General of Walter Reed Army Medical Center; Mrs. Charles H. Royce, granddaughter of Major Reed; Dr. 

Frank A. Warner, Vice-president and Medical Director of the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co., donors of the painting; and Mr. Gustaf E. Lambert, who was an enlisted nurse and cared for the volunteers who developed yellow fever during 

the experiments in Havana, Cuba. Mr. Lambert praised the likeness of his former leader, but claimed he never “looked that 

stern.” May 24, 1961. (Adapted from original caption)

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Directorate of Public Works Archives
147

t The Gray Ladies, an essential part 

of the care provided to wounded and 

sick military personnel since 1918, 

celebrated its 50th anniversary in 

1968. This is the cover for the dinner 

brochure.

Source: National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP, WRAMC History Collection

u The new Intensive Treatment Unit 

at Walter Reed General Hospital dedicated November 24, 1965.

Source: National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP, WRAMC History Collection
148

Walter Reed Commemorative Stamps 

presented to Walter Reed Library. The 

stamps were originally released April 

17, 1940. This sheet of stamps was 

given by Walter Reed Memorial As-

sociation January 13, 1967. 

Left to right: Brig. General Philip W. 

Mallory, Deputy Commanding Gen-

eral; Mrs. Barv, Head Librarian; Maj. 

General Douglas B. Kendrick, Com-

manding General WRAMC.

Source: Signal Corps. Pvt. James Reed - pho-

tographer
149

President Lyndon B. Johnson visited General MacArthur on Ward 8 at Walter Reed. The handwritten inscription reads:

“To General Douglas MacArthur

Whose name will live so long as men cherish bravery and respect statesmanship.

Lyndon B. Johnson”

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center
150

The Walter Reed Memorial in Delano Circle was dedicated on November 21, 1966. The Walter Reed Memorial Association, organized in 1903 to provide support for Mrs. Reed and her daughter, completed its work with the dedication of the 

Memorial. The Association commissioned Felix de Weldon to sculpt the bust of Walter Reed that sits on top of the column. 

Special guests at the dedication included Mrs. Daisy Reed Royce, Walter Reed’s granddaughter, and former President 

and Mrs. Dwight Eisenhower.

Source: National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP, WRAMC History Collection
151

Among the Walter Reed Memorial Association incorporators were industrialist Alexander Graham Bell, former Surgeon 

General George Miller Sternberg, then current Surgeon General R. M. O’Reilly, and Dr. James Carroll (member of the Army 

Yellow Fever Board). The goals of the association were to raise $25,000 or more to provide income for Walter Reed’s widow 

and daughter and “to then devote the principal to the erection of a suitable memorial in the City of Washington” to Maj. 

Walter Reed. 

Gifts came in both large and small. John D. Rockefeller and Pierpont Morgan each gave $2,000. Charles W. Eliot, President of 

Harvard, gave $1,000. Most gifts were, of course, smaller. The goal of $25,000 was reached in 1907. The income from the trust 

fund was provided to Mrs. Emilie Reed until her death in 1950 at age 96 and to their daughter Blossom until her death in 1964 

at age 77.

After Blossom Reed’s death, the Association completed its last duty by commissioning Mr. Felix de Weldon to complete the 

Walter Reed Memorial on the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Mr. de Weldon, a famous sculptor of Presidents 

and Kings, had spent nine years completing the enormous Marine Corps (Iwo Jima) War Memorial in Arlington, VA. 
152

t Playboy Bunnies bring cheer and a 

birthday cake to recovering patients. 

Source: National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP, WRAMC History Collection

p Comedian Bill Cosby visiting with rehabilitation patients at the Forest Glen Annex in 1967. Cosby served four years in 

the Navy as a physical therapist prior to entering show business. 

Source: National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP, WRAMC History Collection
153

p Singer Diana Ross brings a smile to a young soldier.

Source: National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP, WRAMC History Collection
154

u Vice President Richard Nixon, 

recovering from an infected left knee 

in the hospital’s executive suite, chats 

with Nelson Rockefeller, then Governor 

of New York and later Vice President 

under Gerald Ford. 

Source: WRAMC History Office, PAO Historical 

Collection

t President John F. Kennedy is shown walking through 

the hospital with Surgeon General Leonard D. Heaton. In 

the background to the left is Presidential Press Secretary 

Pierre Salinger. 

Source: Stripe newspaper, April 20, 2006

At the beginning of its sixth decade, Walter Reed would play 

a little known role in the historic presidential campaign and 

election of 1960. Vice-President Richard M. Nixon who was 

running against Senator John F. Kennedy, injured his left 

knee in August 1960; the knee ultimately became infected 

with Staphylococcus aureus. Mr. Nixon was admitted to Ward 

8 at Walter Reed for treatment with intravenous antibiotics. 

He left the hospital in early September to begin the campaign 

in earnest. A few days later, he experienced high fever and 

chills and was again treated with antibiotics. Nixon had not 

fully recovered before the first televised debate on September 

26, 1960; his general poor physical condition and appearance 

were apparent to the nation, compared with the apparently 

robust Kennedy. Nixon did ultimately recover from his 

infected knee, but never recovered from the poor showing 

in the debate and lost a close race to John Kennedy. 
155

t President Lyndon Johnson talks 

with PFC Allen Lloyd and SP4 Thomas 

A. Bailey during his visit on June 

11, 1968. Looking on is Col. John L. 

Bradley. 

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, SC 646373

q President Lyndon Johnson leaving 

the hospital after a visit with General 

Douglas MacArthur.

Source: National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP, WRAMC History Collection
156

Research and clinical laboratories 

around the campus of Walter Reed.

Sources: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 

Directorate of Public Works Archives
157

Scenes of patient care at Walter Reed Hospital.

Sources: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Directorate of Public Works Archives
158

t Performing general surgery in the main operating room.

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Directorate of Public Works 

Archives

q Filming oral surgery.

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Directorate of Public Works 

Archives

u Orthopaedic ward rounds with Col. 

Walter Metz (left), Chief of Orthopaedics at the time, eventually Chief of 

Surgery before retiring. Col. George 

Ivan (G.I.) Baker (center), Assistant 

Chief. G.I. Baker was promoted to 

Maj. General in 1977 and served as 

WRAMC Commander. Monroe Levine 

(right), then a resident, became the 

Chief of the Hand Surgery Service in 

the mid-1970s.

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 

Directorate of Public Works Archives.
159

p Inspecting an intravenous site and taking vital signs. 

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Directorate of Public Works Archives
160

u Nurse visiting with a patient.

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 

Directorate of Public Works Archives

t Nurse tending to patients on an 

open bay ward. 

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 

Directorate of Public Works Archives
161

p Hydrotherapy for patients with back injuries. The patients are positioned on tables in the pool.

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Directorate of Public Works Archives

p Wound treatment with a whirlpool bath. The circulating water helped debride open wounds.

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Directorate of Public Works Archives
162

p Pathological specimens stored in the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in the 1970s. As 1975 began, 1,502,688 

cases had been accessioned with samples stored for research.

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Directorate of Public Works Archives
163

Technician working on prosthetic arms 

and hands in the Army Prosthetic 

Research Lab at Forest Glen. Creating 

cosmetic hand covers (top). Attaching 

control cables to an upper extremity 

prosthetic (left).

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 

Directorate of Public Works Archives

t Sign on the museum building at 7th and Independence 

Avenues, NW. The building was demolished in 1968, and 

the museum was moved to the WRAMC main campus.

Source: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Directorate of Public Works 

Archives
164

A Christmas choral concert on the front steps of the hospital.

Source: National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP, WRAMC History Collection
165