We Bought a Hospital
Congratulations for editing another smash edition of Drexel Magazine! The description in the fall 2019 edition of how Hahnemann and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children ended up part of Drexel is fascinating.
Your words on St. Christopher’s took me back many years, to 1963, in fact. My 6-year-old daughter, Donna, had contracted a disease unknown to either her doctor or to our local hospital. The doctor knew he didn’t know, but the hospital in suburban Philadelphia did not.
On the second hospital evening, I called a member of our family, an oral surgeon in Wilmington, Delaware. He called me back: “Withdraw Donna from the hospital tomorrow morning and take her to St. Christopher’s. They will be waiting for her.”
Within 24 hours, St. Christopher’s knew she had hemolytic uremic renal syndrome, a rare disease first diagnosed in Argentina. It shuts down both kidneys. It took six weeks at St Christopher’s, but our daughter we were told was the first girl in the United States to survive it. Amen.
Donna is now in her 40th year giving back as a child speech pathologist in the public school system. Our family is forever grateful to St. Christopher’s and the Lord.
Saving St. Christopher’s was and is a true Godsend. I am so happy that the hospital is in such good hands!!
Blessings.
Bob Mitchell
BS chemical engineering ’48
Glenburn, Maine
Kudos re your nice summary of the long, tortuous road leading to Drexel’s acquisition (in partnership with Tower Health) of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.
As a fan of the passive voice, however, I must say that I shuddered when I read the phrase “… Hahnemann University Hospital shuttered.”
Thanks for indulging this close reader.
Bill Monsell
BS biological science ’96
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
See the Stars from Curtis Hall
Loved seeing an article about Mount Apathy. I’m second from the left in the back row of the old yearbook picture. Back then we had a Celestron 10 in the dome. The club was building a 12-inch or 14-inch Newtonian including grinding the mirror. We had to avoid NCC1776 (the Food Fair sign across Market Street) when observing to the north.
Dr. Leonard Cohen and I crossed paths about a decade later when he contacted PACS (Philadelphia Area Computer Society) looking for help with his early home computer.
William C. Koffke
BS mechanical engineering ’71; MS mechanical engineering ’73
Norristown, Pennsylvania
Fall 2019 Issue
I’ve only viewed the inside cover, your letter and a very few other pages and I love this issue. I was there as Jane Money in the associate degree for administrative help. It was 1962–64. The co-op was just a part of life for many of the students. That was after the Retail Management course but certainly during fabled Home Economics. In the old days when I attended Drexel, the courses were mainly accounting and engineering for the male students. If you were female, it was assumed you were enrolled in Home Economics.
Thank you for keeping me on the mailing list. I’m very proud to be a Dragon.
Jane Charley
Certificate, business administration ’64
Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Reading this month’s magazine. It is so chock-full of surprising and inspiring pieces. Just feeling really proud of my school, and wanted you to know it.
Elizabeth Banham
BS humanities and communications ’80
San Diego, California
Thank you for mentioning me and my new novel, “Lydia: Destiny Or Choice” on p. 47 of the Class Notes section. I was absolutely thrilled to see my book mentioned. Also, got a chuckle that I was the only one mentioned from the ’50s. Guess time marches on, LOL…
Vicky Norvaisa
BS administration secretarial ’59
Erie, Pennsylvania
The Ledger
On page 1 of the fall 2019 issue it mentions that co-op students had served in 48 states, all except North and South Dakota. In 1961 and 1962 while working for Catalytic Construction Company, a Philadelphia firm, I was assigned to install the final stages of Minutemen missile silos. I started in Rapid City, South Dakota, and then went to Minot, North Dakota, over a nine-month period. Although I was in the business school I was doing close order surveying to lay out the missile suspension systems and sighting apparatus prior to the delivery of the missiles.
John “Deke” Sheller
BS business administration ’67
Salisbury, Maryland
Editor’s note: First, what a tremendous co-op experience! Second, thank you for the clarification. I believe that stat should be restated to say that there have been no co-op employers who are headquartered in North or South Dakota.
Found Art
The Flame of Knowledge Fountain was not relocated to North Hall until the late 2000s, when the quad was redone with the dancing fountain. I believe it was late 2007/early 2008. I lived in North Hall from 2005–2006 and it was not there while I lived there. I then lived in Summer Street and recall the relocated fountain showing up before I graduated in 2008.
Jim Gardner
BS/MS civil engineering ’08
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Editor’s note: We’ll defer to the resident of the time. Thank you for rectifying that.