I was more fortunate than Lee or Larry as far as serious illness or accidents went. This was my only hospital visit until my children were born. Wondering what the 10 cents drug was and what do you figure the doctor charged?
Monday, February 4, 2013
Mother's Notes about Larry and his broken leg
Taken directly from Mother's notes:
Larry had frequent bouts with high fever, headaches, legs hurting, and sometimes delirium during 1944 - 45. The army doctors there at the hospital in Warner Robins didn't diagnose it as anything. I wondered at the time if it could be rheumatic fever, and told them so.
Years later when taking his physical for football as a freshman at Maryville High, Dr. Callaway discovered a heart murmur and wondered if he had had rheumatic fever earlier in life. He said Larry couldn't play because of it--this was a blow to his ego--so much so that I talked Dr. Callaway into letting him play.
In October he sustained a crushed knee in scrimmage. His cleat caught in the turf as someone tackled him.
He was not taken in the ambulance to the hospital. Instead I was called to pick him up in the car. I was called at 5;00 p.m.; it was 9:00 p.m. before Dr. Proffitt got around to setting the knee. Blount Memorial Hospital was overflowing and he had to spend the night in the hall.
Max was at his mother's in Chattanooga attending two weeks Army Reserve summer (? my question mark) school, due to be through in three days. I called him the next morning and told him to wait the three days to come home.
This must have been on Wednesday too. (Lee's meningitis). Maybe it is an unlucky day of the week. I think he was in the hospital for two months, home on crutches several weeks. A home bound teacher, Mr. Largent, was his teacher at the hospital and at home.
Larry had frequent bouts with high fever, headaches, legs hurting, and sometimes delirium during 1944 - 45. The army doctors there at the hospital in Warner Robins didn't diagnose it as anything. I wondered at the time if it could be rheumatic fever, and told them so.
Years later when taking his physical for football as a freshman at Maryville High, Dr. Callaway discovered a heart murmur and wondered if he had had rheumatic fever earlier in life. He said Larry couldn't play because of it--this was a blow to his ego--so much so that I talked Dr. Callaway into letting him play.
In October he sustained a crushed knee in scrimmage. His cleat caught in the turf as someone tackled him.
He was not taken in the ambulance to the hospital. Instead I was called to pick him up in the car. I was called at 5;00 p.m.; it was 9:00 p.m. before Dr. Proffitt got around to setting the knee. Blount Memorial Hospital was overflowing and he had to spend the night in the hall.
Max was at his mother's in Chattanooga attending two weeks Army Reserve summer (? my question mark) school, due to be through in three days. I called him the next morning and told him to wait the three days to come home.
This must have been on Wednesday too. (Lee's meningitis). Maybe it is an unlucky day of the week. I think he was in the hospital for two months, home on crutches several weeks. A home bound teacher, Mr. Largent, was his teacher at the hospital and at home.
Mother's account of Lee & his bout with Spinal Meningitis 1950
Taken directly from Mother's notes:
Lee, in the 7th grade at Maryville High School, had been complaining a week or more with his neck being sore and a headache.
I took him to Dr. James Proffitt, our physician; he dismissed it as a normal headache. A week or two later, the school office secretary called me about 1:30 p.m. to say Lee was in great pain and was sick.
I went to school immediately to get him. He was lying on the grass in front of the school. I knew then he was really sick. He talked on the way home of the possibility it might be polio. I had already thought of that.
On reaching the house (202 Hemlock Ave.) I called Dr. Proffitt to get a recommendation of a doctor at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville. I planned to put him on a plane for Nashville as soon as I could get a flight out.
Just before calling the airport I decided to call Dr. Jack Chesney, Knoxville Pediatrics, who had treated Larry for bladder trouble which was corrected.
Over the phone Dr. Chesney diagnosed Lee as having meningitis; he had worked with it during the war. He told me to rush him to Knoxville General Hospital by ambulance as soon as possible. I left word with Avery Dixon (next-door neighbor) to tell Larry & Judy when they came in from school. She kept them and fed them supper that night.
Lee & I arrived at the hospital about 3:00 p.m. I had called Max before we left home, hoping he would meet us at the hospital. He didn't get there until 9:00 p.m. He was in an Alcoa car pool to TVA and wouldn't have thought of letting one of them drive the car home. When he got home, he ate supper. He never once rose to the crisis. I had it alone the whole way.
Lee talked in the ambulance of polio. He spoke in very grave tones. I was numb with fear. When they took him for a spinal tap, I had to go in another direction. I felt that was the last time I would ever see him alive.
Five hours later he was in the isolation ward behind several walls of glass. I could stand in the hall and see him; he looked like he was miles away.
Three doctors told me he had meningitis, and I remember saying, "I'm glad it isn't polio." I had never heard of meningitis. An hour later Max got to the hospital. When we got home I had to call everyone he had been in contact with during the last 3 or 4 days. Maryville was thrown into a panic.
The next night was Wednesday night, prayer meeting night. I sat in the hall looking at Lee through all those glass walls and praying so earnestly, "Dear God if it be thy will may he live." Nearby Broadway Baptist Church was playing chimes, Sweet Hour of Prayer. Never have I felt so close to God. As we left the hospital at 8:30 p.m. we passed by the church, as we waited beside it to get into the main street, I turned to see a lighted stained glass church window, depicting Jesus sitting with outstretched arms. He was literally beckoning. At that moment I knew Lee would live.
Lee was in the hospital 2 or 3 weeks. His girlfriend, Marilyn Hill, later Mrs. Roger Elliott whom she divorced when her two children were teenagers, Marilyn went to the hospital with us every time. We could only send notes to Lee. He couldn't hear us talking through the glass.
At the end of his stay everything in his room had to be burned.
He was out of school 6 weeks altogether. Larry & Judy had to stay home the first two weeks. After the 6 weeks for Lee, we had a high school girl come every afternoon for two weeks to "catch him up" on his studies. He recovered fine with no ill effects. How blessed we have been.
No other case of meningitis was reported in Maryville then or later. Lee is the only one so far as I know in all of Maryville to have it. Most meningitis cases are fatal.
Lee, in the 7th grade at Maryville High School, had been complaining a week or more with his neck being sore and a headache.
I took him to Dr. James Proffitt, our physician; he dismissed it as a normal headache. A week or two later, the school office secretary called me about 1:30 p.m. to say Lee was in great pain and was sick.
I went to school immediately to get him. He was lying on the grass in front of the school. I knew then he was really sick. He talked on the way home of the possibility it might be polio. I had already thought of that.
On reaching the house (202 Hemlock Ave.) I called Dr. Proffitt to get a recommendation of a doctor at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville. I planned to put him on a plane for Nashville as soon as I could get a flight out.
Just before calling the airport I decided to call Dr. Jack Chesney, Knoxville Pediatrics, who had treated Larry for bladder trouble which was corrected.
Over the phone Dr. Chesney diagnosed Lee as having meningitis; he had worked with it during the war. He told me to rush him to Knoxville General Hospital by ambulance as soon as possible. I left word with Avery Dixon (next-door neighbor) to tell Larry & Judy when they came in from school. She kept them and fed them supper that night.
Lee & I arrived at the hospital about 3:00 p.m. I had called Max before we left home, hoping he would meet us at the hospital. He didn't get there until 9:00 p.m. He was in an Alcoa car pool to TVA and wouldn't have thought of letting one of them drive the car home. When he got home, he ate supper. He never once rose to the crisis. I had it alone the whole way.
Lee talked in the ambulance of polio. He spoke in very grave tones. I was numb with fear. When they took him for a spinal tap, I had to go in another direction. I felt that was the last time I would ever see him alive.
Five hours later he was in the isolation ward behind several walls of glass. I could stand in the hall and see him; he looked like he was miles away.
Three doctors told me he had meningitis, and I remember saying, "I'm glad it isn't polio." I had never heard of meningitis. An hour later Max got to the hospital. When we got home I had to call everyone he had been in contact with during the last 3 or 4 days. Maryville was thrown into a panic.
The next night was Wednesday night, prayer meeting night. I sat in the hall looking at Lee through all those glass walls and praying so earnestly, "Dear God if it be thy will may he live." Nearby Broadway Baptist Church was playing chimes, Sweet Hour of Prayer. Never have I felt so close to God. As we left the hospital at 8:30 p.m. we passed by the church, as we waited beside it to get into the main street, I turned to see a lighted stained glass church window, depicting Jesus sitting with outstretched arms. He was literally beckoning. At that moment I knew Lee would live.
Lee was in the hospital 2 or 3 weeks. His girlfriend, Marilyn Hill, later Mrs. Roger Elliott whom she divorced when her two children were teenagers, Marilyn went to the hospital with us every time. We could only send notes to Lee. He couldn't hear us talking through the glass.
At the end of his stay everything in his room had to be burned.
He was out of school 6 weeks altogether. Larry & Judy had to stay home the first two weeks. After the 6 weeks for Lee, we had a high school girl come every afternoon for two weeks to "catch him up" on his studies. He recovered fine with no ill effects. How blessed we have been.
No other case of meningitis was reported in Maryville then or later. Lee is the only one so far as I know in all of Maryville to have it. Most meningitis cases are fatal.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
John Shahan's 50 acres in Sevier County, TN
Mother left this note that she had made from records in the Sevier County Courthouse. She didn't leave any other information that I could find so I went last year to the courthouse to see if I could discover anything else about the location.
In 1856 the courthouse burned and the only records saved was the one book that has this information in it, but nothing that identifies exactly where it is.
Ration Book 1943
In her diary entries Mother doesn't say that much about rationing during the war except for the usual shortages of meat, and apparently ice cream was hard to find at times. She does mention going to Miami to see the gas ration board and being rejected, but Daddy got tickets for 5 tankfuls at the army office. She also wrote of making sure to use up points before they expire.
She does talk about the hardship of trying to set up housekeeping for the family when their furniture was in storage in LaFayette. In Warner Robins, where Daddy was sent in 1943, she says they lived in a hastily constructed 4 room house with a coal burner in the hallway. For furniture they had 2 wood yard chairs, a barrel with a lamp on it, a card table and 4 small nail kegs for chairs, twin army cots, and wooden shelves for clothes; no rugs and unfinished floors.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Granddad Morgan (Roy Austin) 1909 Post Office Convention
Roy Austin Morgan (left kneeling on second row) at a Rural Mail Carriers Convention. It was held at the Hotel Dalton, Dalton, GA, probably 1909, 1910.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
