St. Anthony9s Hospital
(Editor’s note: In May, 1949, the St. Anthony’s hospital
building committee launched a final fund drive for funds for
the new St. Anthony’s hospital. The Frontier signalled the
start with an editorial reproduced below.
Every progressive community like O’Neill is always at wort
on various projects. Such communities have various “irons in
the fire,” as the saying goes. They are continually reaching out
and branching out. No matter how much they have accomplished
in the line of municipal endeavor in the past, they are not satisfied
Their eyes are upon higher goals.
A nationwide survey, we believe, would prove that statement
to be true. Travel up and down the country, visit cities and towns
in all parts of the United States, explore every nook-and-corncr
of every section of it and that fact would be obvious. You may
pass through some communities year-after-year and observe little
or no change—they appear to be at a standstill—and you may pass
through others and find them constantly changing and improving.
Projects spell progress. When you find a city or town which is
doing things, you find a city or town which is on the march. It
is not satisfied with its past achievements, but is ambitious to
achieve more and greater things. It has its eyes on a certain goal
and it is striving mightly to reach that goal.
Of course, that doesn't mean that every ambitious com
munity will be able to attain all its objectives—to realise all its
visions. Some of its goals may be impracticable and some may
be unattained, but that is beside the point. The idea is that
every progressive community has these dreams, visions and am
bitions and its progress is commensurate with its efforts to make
them come true.
The Frontier believes this to be true of O’Neill. O’Neill is a
progressive city, an up-and-coming city. It has dreams, visions,
goals and objectives and that fact is the reason for its quite re
markable growth, expansion and development in the past. It has
made remarkable progress, especially in recent months and years,
and this progress is noted even by casual visitors.
One of the most important projects in which the people of O’
Neill are actively interested at the present time is the proposed
multi-thousand dollar St Anthony’s hospital. This great undertak
ing has been under consideration for some time and has slowly
but surely been assuming concrete form. The idea has passed out
of the stage of discussion into the stage of reality.
St. Anthony’s hospital is intended to be an institution trans
cending in purpose all community bounds. It is intended to serve
the Sand Hills area. But, because O’Neill will be the site of the
magnificent new hospital, O’Neillites are obligated to bear the
brunt of the load and to show the way.
The idea of a new, modem, adequate hospital for this city is
definitely in accord with the trend of the times. There never was
a time when hospitalization was such a vital issue in the United
States as it is today. Following World War II, with its terrible
toll of wounded, maimed and crippled and as the result of the ever
increasing number of automobile and other serious accidents, the
need of greater facilities along this line has become imperative.
New hospitals are being built everywhere, old hospitals are
This is a view of St. Anthony's as the super* the second story in 1951. The camera is looking
structure looked with the first appearance of to the northeast.
being enlarged and hospital facilities are being improved. O’Neill
is keeping in step with the trend of the times and it is gratifying to
know that this great project is gathering momentum and prelimi
nary technicalities are being ironed out. The new hospital will
be in charge of the Sisters of St. Francis, who have donated the
land and have agreed to assume any reasonable indebtedness.
The strategic importance of this community as the site of a
large, up-to-date hospital is emphasized by the fact that there are
no comparable facilities closer than Sioux City, Norfolk and
Grand Island. In Norfolk, anyway, hospital facilities are acutely
inadequate as proved by expansion plans in progress there.
Sioux City, Norfolk and Grand Island are a considerable
distance away and the desirability of a local institution is ob
vious. Apart from compassionate and humanitarian reasons, it
would be a big asset to O'Neill, would bring more business to
town, and add to its prestige.
Speaking of the trend of the times toward more and better
hospital facilities, it is interesting to observe how this demand is
asserting itself in cities and towns all over the country. This is
particularly true of the big cities. In cities like Chicago and New
York, new hospitals are constantly being built and old ones en
larged and improved.
Ambitious hospital projects are underway at Neligh, Tilden,
Norfolk, West Point and Oakland—to mention only a few neigh
boring towns. ' ! | !
The Frontier sincerely believes that when the hospital is
completed and put in operation, all of us will legitimately ask
ourselves: "How did we manage to get along without it?"
The answer, of course, is simple: "We didn't."
Events have been developing swiftly in recent weeks as the
hospital move has been revived for the third and final time. James
M. Corkle, a highly successful businessman in O’Neill during his
10 years here, has been made chairman of the building committee.
He was given a rousing vote of confidence in a public meeting.
The Sisters of St. Francis from their national headquarters have
officially designated the hospital St. Anthony’s
O’Neill marches on and top priority is St. Anthony’s hospital.
All possibility of failure long since has been dismissed and stricken
from the record.
St. Anthony’s hospital will be a reality.
Sf. Anthony's
Is Fireproof —
The possibility of fire in the
new St. Anthony’s hospital is
slight. An all fireproof structure
is abetted by the presence of fire
Droof fixtures wherever practical
inside the building. Patients will
be allowed to smoke inside theii4
rooms probably with no fear of
seeing the drapes and sashes ig
niting.
Should a fire break out in one
of the rooms in the basement,
fireproof doors are shut to pre
vent its spreading. The few but
tragic cases in the history of hos
Dital fires will have no repitition
in St. Anthony’s.
Hospital Food
Fit for King —
“Isn’t that a dainty dish to set
before a king.”
The dainty dish will be more
than that. It should be delicious,
coming as it does from the finest
in hoctjital cuisine at St. An
thony’s.
Modem facilities and choice
menus are standard equipment
for the hospital’s genial and cap
able cook, Sister M. Fara, OSF.
Green Color
Reduces Glare —
The predominant color in the
modemly eouipped operating
room of the hospital is misty
green. It has been rather re
cently established that this color
reduce* glare to a minimum.
Even the hospital gowns, caps,
and masks of the surgeons and
the attendants will be green to
further effectiveness.
METHODIST TO SPEAK . . .
Rev. J. Laverne Jay (above),
Northeast Nebraska district su
perintendent of the Methodist
church, will participate in the
dedicatory rites for St. An
thony’s hospital. Reverend Jay,
whose district extends from
Valentine to South Sioux City,
came to O’Neill in 1951. The
Sisters of St. Francis and Meth
dists both have new hospitals
at Scottsbluff.
,, < *
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TO
| St. Anthony’s |
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We are immeasurably proud of this
fine new hospital as it takes a
position of preeminence In
our community.
' !
| | G | |
i MCDONALD'S
JOE STUTZ, Manager
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♦ ►
« I' III
| We take a special pride on this occasion to congratulate the ii;
: SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS upon the dedication of O’Neill’s •
ii: magnificent new hospital. We deem it a real privilege to be ii:
ii: of service to the SISTERS and to the many folks who will Ii;
ill he coming to O’Neill relying on ST. ANTHONY’S for their ii;
;; well being. ;>•
I M & M CAFE and BAKERY I
H. W. HERIFORD — BENNETT HERIFORD
Phone 20 — O'Neill :|