The Owosso times., 1921-05-06

doctors were asked to put their o. X.
on them.
1t became necessary for the COM
mittee, the membership of which
had by this time been increased, to
incorporate as the Memorial Hospi-
tai association. The following signed
the incorporation papers: c. P.
Bentley, president; j.. Edwin Ellis,
vice-president; D. M. Christian, w. F.
Gallagher, Charles E. Rigley Sr.,
Joseph H. Robbins, Fred B. Woodland,
Fred Welch, J. C. Mullaney, and j. F.
Field. Two members of the board of
supervisors, G. M. Dewey of Owosso
and Roy L. Colby of Shiawassee
township, were added to the board
of trustees, as representatives of the
county.
In May, 1919, the work of organi-
zation for the drive for funds was
started by Mr.. Loder. Mr.. Loder's
work during the ten weeks that he
was here resulted in the thorough
organizing of the women of the en-
tire county into an auxiliary that
has been a most important factor in
the hospital work and that will con-
tinue to do wonderful work.
At about the same time, the drive
for funds began, and went over with
astounding success. The county Red
Cross chapter turned over $25,000 of
the funds raised during the war for
Red Cross work but which was left
in the treasury when the war ended.
Another large contribution came
from the comfy, the board of SUI
pervisors appropriating $4,000 to
be paid in two installments of $751;
600 each. Smaller contributions
came from other sources, nearly
everyone giving something, and the
campaign ended with total of $751;
900 pledged. The success attained
in the campaign was even better than
was expected; and the pleges made
were not hollow, for today there re-
mains less than $4,000 Of this amount
unpaid.
Meanwhile members of the COM
mittee had been seeking the site best
adapted to hospital purposes. Fred
! Welch, realizing the desirability Of
the West King street site, where the
building now stands, secured an op-
ton on II acres belonging to the
| Beckwith estate, from John M. Beck
with. This was done in April, 1919,
and a few days later Fred Hartshorn
took over the option and purchased
the ground. He Immediately pres
ented the site to the hospital board,
in memory of his father, the late A.
E. Hartshorn. A tablet in memory
of Mr.. Hartshorn will be placed in
the building. Shortly thereafter, the
| late E. o. Dewey informed the board
that the heirs of the Williams estate
had decided to deed to the board two
and one-half acres Of what was then
known as the King street woods, ad-
joining the site chosen for the hos
pital. This gave a total of 13h
acres of land, with almost unlimited
possibilities for Identification and an
ideal site for the hospital.
With the site secured, the money
raised and the plans drawn for the
hospital, the contract was let late in
March 1920. The general contract
went to C. II. Maliskey and son Wal
ter of this city, and that for the
plumbing to the John r. Kelly Co.
Ground was broken as soon as the
frost was out of the ground year
ago, and steady progress has been
made since, until today the building
stands complete, one of the finest
small hospitals in the country.
The building is 200 feet long by
SO feet wide, and four stories high,
and has minimum capacity Of 60
beds with three operating rooms. 1t
is built along the most modern lines
of hospital architecture, and is so
constructed that in the future, should
it become necessary to build addi-
tions, wings can be erected on each
end, without impairing in the slight
est degree, the convenient arrange
ment which now characterizes it. All
work rooms are in the center of the
building, and should additions be
built on each end, these rooms would
still remain the enters of activities in
the building.
The hospital is built of light sand
brick, trimmed with manufactured
! stone. The interior walls are Of plain