Shortly after 2 p.m. on Nov. 28, 1954, St. Tammany Parish Police Jury President Fred Mizell stepped to the lectern set up in front of the newly completed St. Tammany Parish Hospital. As the December wind blustered, he pulled from his pocket a single sheet of onionskin.
Neatly typed on that piece of paper were 385 words paying tribute to the efforts of those many members of the community who had worked so long to establish a hospital in the parish – and casting a hopeful eye toward the future.
Three days after that speech was delivered at the hospital’s dedication, it would officially open its doors.
In keeping with Mizell’s expressed wishes, those doors have yet to close.
That typed speech still resides in the hospital’s archives. It gets the spotlight in this week’s installment of our ongoing 70 for 70 history series.
Installment No. 18: ‘May it always remain open to suffering humanity’
Today’s artifact: A typewritten speech delivered by Parish President Fred Mizell in dedicating St. Tammany Parish Hospital on Nov. 28, 1954.
Why it is significant: Honestly, this is one of those cases where we probably couldn’t say it any better than Mr. Mizell did – especially when it comes to his closing sentence, which is one of our favorites from the health system’s history.
That being the case, we’ll let his words speak for themselves once more. Here is his dedicatory speech, reprinted in full: