As a community hospital, St. Tammany Health System’s flagship St. Tammany Parish Hospital has long relied upon the generosity of local residents.
That includes those who gave so much of their time in working to establish the hospital in the late 1940s and early 1950s, it includes those who serve today as members of the all-volunteer St. Tammany Hospital Guild, and it includes those who have donated financially to its mission over the years.
Notably among that last group: local resident Marguerite Weiss, who is credited not only with proposing the initial community fundraising campaign to get the hospital up and running but also of being the first donor to that campaign.
But there’s a “but” where that donation is concerned – an asterisk, if you will, but one that demonstrates exactly what kind of donor Weiss was: the determined kind.
Which brings us to today’s entry in our 70-part history series highlighting key artifacts that help tell the St. Tammany Health System history.
Installment No. 53: A promise kept
Today’s artifact: A letter from early St. Tammany Parish Hospital supporter Marguerite Weiss to Norma Core, one of the driving forces behind the hospital’s founding an inaugural member of its Board of Commissioners, containing a check – and a confession.
Why it is significant: In 1947, as the Women’s Progressive Union of Covington was just ramping its efforts to establish a community hospital in Covington, a serious question arose: Where exactly would the money come from to build this hospital?
The federal government could be counted on to provide a sizeable chunk of it through the Hospital Survey and Construction Act, popularly known as the Hill-Burton Act, which would supply some 60% of the eventual $375,000 price tag. But what about the rest?
Local resident Marguerite Weiss had an idea. Since the hospital would be such an undeniable benefit to the community, she wrote in a letter to Women’s Progressive Union Chair Aimee Moake, it would only make sense to support it with a public fundraising drive.
Weiss was so convinced that the community would step up that she put her money where her mouth was, with a pledge to make the first donation to the cause.
With that $10 pledge – the equivalent of just about $150 in 2024 dollars – she would go down in St. Tammany Health System history as donor No. 1.
And this is where that asterisk comes in.
As it turns out, Weiss’ donation was never collected, as she revealed in a letter to Core dated Nov. 26, 1954, a copy of which resides in the St. Tammany Health System archives.
“Dear Norma,” she wrote in a pleasingly looping cursive hand, “I saw my name mentioned in The St. Tammany Farmer near the end of the article about the new St. Tammany parish hospital – made me feel a little sheepish – for as you may remember, I told you I would give a contribution of $10 toward it; but you advised me to wait and no one ever did come to me for it.”
But rather than seek out to correct the record, Weiss – still determined to support the effort – opted to correct the oversight.
“So, now I am sending a check of 15 dollars payable to you for the Hospital Fund,” her letter continued.
“That will be the $10 plus $5 for the time that has gone by.”
Her letter noted that a check was included. That check isn’t a part of the archive, presumably because it was deposited by Core.
And although it was delayed by a few years, it represents a promise kept by Weiss, the first in long line of people whose generosity has been such a key part of the St. Tammany Health System story.
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. 54: For the children
Last week – Installment No. 52: In gratitude