I Thought this might be of some interest also. This was in todays Times Herald Record. It relates to the recent discussion being related by Joanne. Sharon Brown Morse Leveling of nurses' residence will hide history of generosity MIDDLETOWN: Dozens of young women learned to care for the sick and dying at a once stately brick building that's now being razed for a parking lot. By Barbara Bedell Times Herald-Record bbedell@th-record.com It won't be long now before a wrecking ball will slam into the brick and mortar at the Clemson School of Nursing on Prospect Avenue to make room for more parking space at the Horton Medical Center. As the walls crumble, so will another chapter in the region's history. If the walls could talk they'd tell of a time of generous benefactors who donated money to build a hospital and a nursing school where women could be trained as professionals at no cost. The buildings are located next to each other on property that had once been the county's only orphanage. Elizabeth McManus O'Connor, now 90, and Marge McManus Larkin, 88, were enrolled in the nursing school's first graduating class. The sisters remember the opulence of the building and its furnishings, and recall George Nathan Clemson, for whom the building was named. They don't want the memories forgotten as the dust settles. "It was an exciting time,'' said Mrs. Larkin as she wiped off the corners of a yellowing graduation picture. "The big new hospital with 78 beds replaced the 24-bed Thrall Hospital on Grove Street.'' Clemson's gift of $125,000 in 1928 covered the full cost of building and furnished the nurses' school and residence. Clemson said it was his "gift to the community'' when he sealed the check in an envelope and handed it to a hospital official. The school opened in February, 1929, about two weeks before the hospital. "The gifts were generous, with more money than average people could think of,'' Mrs. Larkin said. Her father, Thomas McManus, was an Irish immigrant who worked two jobs to take care of his family, who lived in a small house on a long stretch of flat land. The modesty of their home contrasted sharply to the cross-town residence of George Clemson, benefactor of the nursing school. His 52-room mansion on Highland Avenue was purchased for $20,000 in 1892. Its elegant furnishings made it one of the area's great showplaces. In time, the property would be donated to build the YMCA. Clemson was 6 when he moved to Middletown. His father, William, had left Warwickshire, England, in 1842. When he came to Middletown he took a job with a saw manufacturer. By the time William Clemson died, his son had purchased controlling interest in the business his father had cultivated and merged it with smaller businesses, creating the National Saw Company. The hacksaw the younger Clemson wound up developing made him wealthy and offered him a life of ease, as well as a reputation. "We never knew much about the Clemsons,'' Mrs. Larkin said. "We didn't see them or socialize with them. We just knew they were wealthy and responsible for our education. And we were grateful." As part of the agreement to attend the three-year school, the nursing students received their books, uniforms, room, board and tuition free. "We were waited on in the beautiful dining room, and even had our laundry done,'' Mrs. Larkin said. "We had a house mother who insisted we be in each night by 9. It was very supervised, safe and proper.'' Upon graduation, Mrs. Larkin earned a $62-a-month salary by working at Horton Hospital. She worked in the operating room, the emergency room and sometimes rode the ambulance. She was allowed to live at the nurses' residence where she paid a small rental fee. Her sister moved to New York, where she made more money. Later, Mrs. Larkin became a private duty nurse, which paid a few dollars more. At that time the national average salary was $865 a year for nurses and medical workers. In those days a hospital stay of 55 days cost $1,166. About half was for nursing care, the rest was room and board. The McManus girls learned to budget their money. The national average weekly salary in 1932 was $17. A loaf of bread was seven cents, a quart of milk 12 cents, butter was 28 cents a pound, and coffee was 29 cents a pound. A two-story frame house cost less than $3,000 to build. After the third class graduated in 1934 the school was closed due to staffing expenses, but the building stayed open as a nurses' residence. "It served as incentive for nurses to work at Horton,'' Mrs. Larkin said. It was also an appealing place to host parties. For a dozen or more years the nonprofit Lenten Sewing Club, which has always supported the pediatric wing of the hospital, conducted its annual Lenten teas there. In recent years the building has fallen into disrepair and become unsafe for occupancy. The roof is badly damaged and the plaster walls have holes. Hospital officials considered a restoration project, but there were no takers. Robert DeValentino, head of the Horton Health Care Foundation, said it was cheaper to raze the building. A few items like the chandeliers and the door knocker were removed and will be used during the foundation's annual silent auction later this year. A Warwick firm will start the demolition this week. The cost to remove the structure will be $230,000. "Our history is important,'' said Mrs. Larkin who retired from full-time nursing in 1973. "It tells us who we are and where we've been. The Clemson's were important to our nursing history. Many hours of patient care was provided through their generosity. "When I took a last walk around the building I remembered the fun we had there - the dances, the teas, the winters when we'd sled down the steep hill, gliding over the frozen pond. They're wonderful memories,'' she said. "It makes me sad to see the building torn down, especially for a parking lot.'' "Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when we have trouble remembering how to fly." --Anonymous