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History never ends, but yes, blogs do

When I started writing this blog more than four years ago — in October of 2015 — I wasn’t sure where it would lead. I was beginning the process of writing a history book and I wanted to chronicle the adventure.

What I soon discovered is that the stories that make up Children’s Mercy are enduring and endearing. And as I have continued to write, continued to dig and continued to live day-to-day…

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Women physicians built Children's Mercy

Women physicians built Children’s Mercy

It’s no secret, and in fact it’s a point of pride, that Children’s Mercy was founded by two women doctors. But there are always people who are surprised by that because, if for no other reason, the odds were certainly not in the favor of women in medicine in the 1890s.

It’s one of the reasons we keep telling the story. And it’s one of the reasons why,

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell

each February is…

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A chance to buy a piece of history

There are a lot of remarkable, historic homes in the somewhat neglected neighborhoods of Northeast Kansas City. This is where you’ll find the Corinthian Hall mansion that houses the Kansas City Museum and the other magnificent homes along Gladstone and Benton boulevards.

But just a short walk away, there’s another home that may not be as big or fancy, but it is just as monumental: the…

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Evacuation puts crisis plan into action

The phone call was jarring, and not just because it came about 9 p.m. and nobody ever calls the house that time of night.

“What do you know about the fire?” the boss asked immediately after I said hello. I froze.

“Uh, what fire? At the hospital? When? Where?” I raced to the TV.

The date was Jan. 28, 1999 and my job was managing our relationship with the news

This is not the scene you want to…

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Spirits live on and offer inspiration

When given a chance to move offices to a hundred year old building recently renovated into offices for Children’s Mercy employees, I didn’t hesitate. A historic building for the history guy makes sense, right?

Anyone who has lived in an old house, worked in an old building, gone to class in an old school knows these buildings are, shall we say, different. They have their quirks.

They have…

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Ask most everyone where they’d like to spend the year-end holidays and chances are, nobody is going to say the hospital.

But at Children’s Mercy — where we spend every day of the year making hospital visits as comfortable as possible — it’s special this time of year. Thanks to creative friends and passionate staff, there are bright lights and colors, paper stars and snowflakes, ribbons and bows and lots of people dressed in holiday finery.

And it is not something that we’re just started doing. Holidays have been special for our hospital for decades. While I can’t find evidence of the first-ever Christmas tree, I know our history of decorating and holiday parties goes back at least to the 1960s. Below are photos from past to present. May they brighten your holidays as much as they brighten those of our children, family and staff at Children’s Mercy.

This is one of our prized possessions: A holiday card sent in 1967 by Board of Trustees Chairman Herman Sutherland proclaiming that after a long fight, the hospital’s plans to move to Hospital Hill were set.

The Kansas City Chiefs, and their cheerleaders, are no strangers to Children’s Mercy around the holidays … this undated photo shows a young quaterback Len Dawson (back, center), running back Ed Podalak (left) and kicker Jan Stenerud (back, right) and others with Santa circa 1970.

Chiefs players continued their tradition of visiting long after those Super Bowl days. During the 1990s, Linebacker Derrick Thomas (left, above) brought along several of his teammates for an ruckus evening of visiting patients and handing out presents. Quarterback Joe Montana opted for a quieter time with patients, opting for no media or pictures during his holiday visits.

Hallmark and its employees have been longtime supporters of Children’s Mercy, as this photo (above) of a 1963 holiday party shows. Hallmark continues to spread holiday cheers in the 2010s, decorating Children’s Mercy with bows and ribbons and tinsel, as the photos below of this year’s decor show.

In 1999, the man in the “sultry velvet suit” was known as the “Helzberg Santa” and he visited 12 hospitals in five cities, delivering 3,000 bears.

This holiday greeting card is one of several from the 1960s by famed Kansas City artist Jack O’Hara. The image at the time of this blog post is another card of his.  According a bio of O’Hara on eBay, he has paintings in corporate and private collections in the United States and abroad including the permanent collections of the KC Art Institute; the University of Kansas Alumni Center; The Spencer Museum, Lawrence, KS; the Kemper-Albrecht Museum, St. Joseph, Mo.; and the Farnsworth Museum, Rockland, Maine. Proof positive that Children’s Mercy has been blessed with wide support of people from all walks of life, during the holidays and all year long.

Holiday spirit shines at our hospital Ask most everyone where they'd like to spend the year-end holidays and chances are, nobody is going to say the hospital.

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Home for the holidays ... 44 years later

Home for the holidays … 44 years later

A one-year loan turned into a decades-long residence at Children’s Mercy for a captivating sculpture of a mother and child.

And now, 43 years after it was intended to be returned to its owners, the bronze “Protection” by well-known Mexican artist Victor Salmones is finally home for the holidays.

“Mom and dad were both very artistic and they loved art,” said Peter Ott, whose mother,

“Protection”…

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Something to be thankful for: families

Something to be thankful for: families

With the year-end holidays approaching, a lot of thoughts turn to family.

And for many of us, families are a mixed bag. There can be love and appreciation, as well as tension, disagreement and stress. But make no mistake, families play a vital role our well-being … and a vital role at Children’s Mercy.

One of the things that sets our children’s hospital apart is the dedication to what is called…

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We're in good hands with UMKC archives

We’re in good hands with UMKC archives

A colleague in the Marketing and Communications department contacted me recently about a photo album she’d received from a long-time Children’s Mercy employee who was retiring.

Would I like to have the pictures, which chronicle the past 10 years of our partnership with the Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead in Overland Park?

Well, of course, I said. That’s what I do, collect old things that tell…

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Student looks at KBR: no sugar coating

Student looks at KBR: no sugar coating

An recently edition of the academic journal: Young Scholars in Writing features a piece by a University of Missouri – Kansas City student that provides a new perspective on the character of Children’s Mercy co-founder Dr. Katharine Berry Richardson’s character.

Rachel Hoffman, the English undergraduate student, gained access to much of the

Young Scholars in Writing, Vol. 15, 2019

writing of Dr.…

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Many voices fill book with wisdom, hope

Many voices fill book with wisdom, hope

It was quite a sight when we hosted “Science & heart” book launch events recently for Children’s Mercy staff.

There was a steady stream of people from across the institution — social workers, nurses, Child Life specialists, chaplains, doctors and administrators — lining up to buy books or corresponding t-shirts and visit with colleagues. It served as a vivid reminder of the grassroots support for…

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It's here: new book looks back, forward

It’s here: new book looks back, forward

I had an editor one time who told me on a regular basis that I wrote too long. I told him I was giving my writing personality. He said I was boring my readers.

Well, we’re not having that argument today. I have one message:

The new book is out and you can buy it on-line here!

Cost of the book is $19.95, plus a few bucks for shipping and handling. To avoid those charged, you could pick up a copy…

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New book shows teamwork key to success

New book shows teamwork key to success

A bit of a health issue defined the last part of my summer this year and I encountered more than a bit of the local medical establishment. Nothing too serious, but I did have occasion to be hospitalized within one health care network and referred to specialists in two other networks, while my primary care doctor is a relative independent.

I’m not sure how many different electronic medical records…

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'Science & heart' tells more of our story

‘Science & heart’ tells more of our story

“Skill cannot take the place of sympathy and understanding, for science without heart is ugly and pitiless.”

Children’s Mercy co-founder Katharine Berry Richardson, MD

No sooner had the Children’s Mercy history book, “For All Children Everywhere,” rolled off the presses two years ago than people began asking me about the next book. But instead of complaining that I hadn’t had a chance to bask in…

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'A bit like reading your own obit'

‘A bit like reading your own obit’

Around 30 years ago, my dad formally retired from the newspaper business. He got out at a good time, I believe, before readership plummeted and before anyone with an Internet connection could spout off and call it “journalism.”

Before he left the business, several acquaintances (including fellow editors and publishers and reporters he’d mentored) were invited to write stories about him to be…

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A product of those who came before us

A product of those who came before us

When I was working on the acknowledgements of my first book, “For All Children Everywhere,” there were a lot of people to thank. High on the list were my parents, as it would be for many people, I suspect.

And I’ve been thinking a lot about my mom recently since August is her birthday month and we’d often plan a trip to visit her around this time. She died in 2017 and our travel

This photo…

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A Children's Mercy giant: Keith Ashcraft

A Children’s Mercy giant: Keith Ashcraft

Sometimes I joke that I never set out to become an “old timer,” but one day at a time, I’ve found myself in that role.

Part of that means I know a lot of other people who have been around for a long time. And when some of them are no longer with us, I think it’s important to make sure their stories get told and remembered.

The other day, news crossed my desk that Dr. Keith Ashcraft, a true…