Had it taken place today, somebody would have filmed it with their smart phone and posted it by now to Facebook or TikTok or some other social media platform du jour.
But when St. Tammany Health System celebrated the 25th anniversary of its 1954 founding as St. Tammany Parish Hospital, the year was 1979 – and the closest thing we had to social media were handmade posters stapled to telephone poles.
Fortunately, a collection of ephemera from that day has survived in the health system archives, offering insights into the thoughts of hospital leaders at the time.
That brings us to today’s 52nd installment in our 70-part history series chronicling the health system’s history.
Installment No. 52: In gratitude
Today’s artifact: A copy of a typed rundown and loose script for St. Tammany Health System’s 25th anniversary celebration, including recommended talking points for speakers and notes recounting key moments in the hospital’s early history.
Why they are significant: With every year that passes, fewer and fewer people associated with St. Tammany Parish Hospital’s earliest days remain. Fortunately, the hospital’s founders left behind more than a legacy of healing.
They also left documents like the script and rundown for the hospital’s 25th anniversary celebration. Although the name of the person who crafted that document has been lost to history, they were clearly moved by two themes: community and gratitude.
In the part of the program reserved for the invocation, for example, the writer wasn’t so presumptuous as to instruct the Rev. Baxter Pond exactly what to say. They did, however, note that his prayer should be “a prayer for those who gave so unselfishly of their time, energy and money to get the Hospital.”
Similarly, in the section reserved for a speech for hospital Board Chairman A.B. Crow, he was left to use his own words – but a note on the script took the liberty of including a 1954 quote from the St. Tammany Farmer newspaper for inspiration. It read: “It (the Hospital) grew out of the hearts and the pocketbooks of the people of St. Tammany Parish as individuals, as organizations, as institutions.”
Over and over again, the contributions of various members of the community are noted with expressions of gratitude.
Even now, 70 years after its founding, those two ideas – community and gratitude – remain central parts of the health system’s culture.
In a way, it’s an answer to the founders’ prayers, as evidenced by the note included for the Rev. Mallory Callahan of Greater Starlight Baptist Church, who was selected to present the benediction at the close of the 25th anniversary celebration.
It requested “a prayer that the ‘spirit’ of the Hospital’s founders will never be lost by those entrusted with the care of their friends (and) neighbors.”
So far, so good.
Scroll down to see the full four-page script. Do you have a St. Tammany Parish Hospital story or item to share? We’d love to hear about it! Email us at CommDept@stph.org.
Next week – Installment No. 53: A promise kept
Last week – Installment No. 51: First and foremost