Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1950-05-11
Montgomery Sidelights
ELSIE WHITE HAINES

pleted under the first seven chair
men are listed on the pink sheet -
from the simple immunization and
child care program of 1884 5, to
the hous4keeper program just be-
ing launched this year. Among
other things, the Council plans to
write the sequel to the history of
the Lay Council written in 1945.
This history prepared by Mrs.
j. Angus Watson, Jr., chairman,
Miss Stella Randolph, consultant,
and committee made up of Mrs.
Eugene M. Fry, Mrs. w. P. Har-
man, Mrs. C. S. Duvall, Mrs. Yes
tus Wilcox, Mrs. M. Orrison Clark,
Mrs. Raleigh Chinn, Mrs. C. C.
Tumbleson, and Mrs. William Cart
er Bowles, is an accurate and in
valuable record of the Public
Health Councils first 10 years.
names of all who pioneered in this
Council movement and to pay triib-
ute to the nurses and those who
drove the clinic station wagons =
especially to Mrs. Charles Upton,
lovingly known as isis" who drove
over some of the county's worst
roads for years and remained
cheerful = "does me good just to
ride wild dat woman" one colored
patient said. And l do think we
should pay tribute to our first
health officer, DR.. William T. Pratt
and to his daughter, Ethelyn Pratt
Thompson, who retired last year
from the Health Department after
rs years of service. DIR. Pratt was
appointed in 1923 and served until
his death in 1881. He was never
provided an Office but made space
available in his home. He died be-
fore general recognition was given
his uphill work and DR.. Ellicott
succeeded him in April 1882.
The committees worked hard in
those days when often we did not
know where the next dollar was
coming from but we had fun,
too. Especially at the dances -
often held at Halloween and cos
tune affair. We danced with every
American character and many
foreign ones. With the late Col.
Edwin Warfeld, done up as George
Washington and looking far hand
somer - Walter Perry with shoes
so long that he could step on his
partners feet and the feet of three
women an one time someone
done up like Daniel Boone with
"B'ar" over his shoulder = my own
husband as an Indian Chief.
The dance l remember best is
one / did not attend = it was the
first year l was county chairman.
Preliminary arrangements were
being made when l was invited to
go to Reno with a cousin who was
getting divorce - tho / did not
need to take "the cure", as it Is
called in Reno - / just could not
miss the opportunity to pay a lei
surely visit to Nevada and Cali
fornia i did feel little con-
science stricken about running off
when there was work to do. But
the dance committee assured me
the dance would be held without me
and urged me to go. Halloween
night was in Carson City. "Won-
der how the dance came out"
said to my cousin. Early next
morning came telegram: "Relax
: dance success = DR.. Ellicott big
hit dressed as midwife" A letter
from Rebecca Chinn confirmed the
message.
1t is this relationship of sharing
fun, as well as hard work, that has
helped solve some of the Councils
most difficult problems. Raising
funds for the first clinic car :.
working for an increased budget
for the Health Department, for
sanitation and more inspectors :
full-time dentist and trailer, an
assistant health officer, for more
nurses and better pay for all, and
in selling to the county authorities
the idea of taking over some COM
pleted projects. The Council has
set an enviable pattern of COM
munity participation, which is now
studied by students in Schools of
Public Health throughout the ma
ton.
DIR. Ellicott has served as Health
Officer for Is of the busiest and
most important years. of the county
since it was set up in ITS = He is
nice enough to say that the work
of this council has helped make
home of his dreams come true.
There is still much work to be done,
but we know that the Public
Health Lay Council will be right
in there pitching as long as it can
That La IL