Chuck 1

Cresson TB Sanatorium Remembered

Chuck 1

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

I obviously missed my high school graduation ceremony in June 1955. However, I was there for the class photo shown below which had been taken before I became ill. I'm the tall guy in the middle of the photo just down one row from the top.

When I was told I had TB, my biggest fear was that I might have passed it on to my family and classmates. But no one in my family had it and I believe that was true for all my classmates as well. What I do remember is my classmates visiting me, in groups and individually, while I was in the Robert Packer Hospital is Sayre, Pa. Their visits did a lot to boost my spirits and relieve the boredom of being bedridden in isolation for three weeks. Thanks, Class of 55'.

I was the senior class president. How did they ever graduate without me! I can't remember when I didn't have a crew-cut.

My younger brother Tom stood in for me at the graduation ceremony and collected my diploma and awards. There will be more photos of him when I get to the sanatorium writeup.

The local Towanda newspaper, the Daily Review where my dad worked, gave me a nice writeup shown above and at left. The Towanda Daily Review is still in business.

Because I had TB, I qualified for the State Rehabilitation Program. I drove to Harrisburg, took a 6 hour test which I passed and received a scholarship to Penn State. I started college in 1957, attending my first three semesters at the satellite campus at Hazleton, Pa. before attending the main campus at State College. It took me 5 years to graduate with a BS in Engineering Mechanics as I was not allowed to take a full load of credits my first year. Above is my 1962 PSU graduation photo at age 24. Better late than never. It led to a 38 year career in aerospace engineering in Long Beach, Ca. See, I really did survive and so did my crewcut.

At left is an article that appeared in the Towanda Daily Review Newspaper in 1962 announcing my departure for Long Beach, Ca. to begin employment with Douglas Aircraft Co.

At left is a copy of an index card which has been kept on me at the PA. Dept of Health in Towanda, Pa. I obtained this copy in April 2009. The date of 3-24-55 was when I entered the Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pa. for further tests to officially confirm the initial diagnosis of TB based on my chest x-ray. The 4-14-55 date is when I entered the Cresson sanatorium and 8-19-56 was my release date. I believe the WDC in front of my release date stands for "With Doctor's Consent". They even have the correct date of when I moved to California, 8-13-62. However, they did get my birth date wrong. My birthdate is actually 1-14-38. My sister's birthday is on 2-20. I guess my parents were so shook up when they were giving my info to the hospital that they combine the two and got 2-20-38.