Letter: Hospital booklet brings back fond memories

From: Shirley Todd

Columbus

Thanks to all who contributed to the booklet “CRH: One Hundred Years of Caring,” which is very informative and sure brought back memories for me.

My dad passed away in 1955, a few days before my 13th birthday. Money was tight for us, so my brothers and I needed to go to work to help at home. My brothers already had paper routes, but I got a job at the hospital to do my part. My job was in the kitchen doing anything and everything.

I knew who Olive Murphy was, of course, but this particular day I had to fix her breakfast. As she came through the line, she asked for an egg on toast. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Well, it was simple, but I was so nervous about fixing her breakfast that I asked her what she meant. She told me it was just a piece of toast with an over-light egg in the center. I’d never heard of that. Like the booklet tells, Olive was always dressed just like nurses were then (with starch in their uniforms). Here I thought I would just be doing the dishes on my job.

I’ll never forget when I took the blood test to work. I passed out and hit my head on a table, and that caused a goose egg on my head. My first paycheck was $17.89, and with that I bought five outfits. Wow, have times changed.