60 YEARS OF COMPASSION, EXCELLENCE, AND LIFE-CHANGING CARE
T
wo thousand people stood in
hired—one newspaper called St. Jude’s
six months, allowing construction of the
the rain to see the opening of a
patients the “best fed in the country.”
desperately needed hospital to begin.
new hospital in 1957. Built on
The hospital was the result of a
THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST
partnership between the Sisters of St.
W ithin days of opening, every bed in the
a prime Fullerton lot donated by a local businessman, the hospital would fill an unmet and urgent need for medical services in north Orange County. In the words of one newspaper, “This is the day we have been waiting for. All of Orange County rejoices over the completion of the ultramodern St. Jude Hospital.”
Joseph of Orange—who wanted to set a new standard of care in Orange County— and a community who was eager to help make it possible. Neighboring cities, businesses and residents all found ways to raise money to support the construction. The Assistance League held book review
There was tremendous excitement over
parties; the Cub Scouts organized a
the high-tech features of the new hospital.
circus; the Women’s Club hosted bridge
Going beyond the community standard at
parties; and the Kiwanis Club created a
the time, it offered the latest advances in
comedy show. From Northrop Aircraft,
care including state-of-the-art operating
who auctioned off lunches with Cary Grant
areas and a new concept in medicine
and Humphrey Bogart, to the Rotary Club’s
called “the recovery room.” Even the kitchen
sold-out dinner dance, there was an almost
featured the newest equipment—and when
endless variety of fundraising events.
the former chef of Knott’s Berry Farm was
In the end, over $750,000 was raised in just
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new hospital was filled and St. Jude’s reputation quickly grew. Physicians who were part of the medical staff describe applications starting to pour in from the “best and brightest” all over the country— new graduates attracted to St. Jude’s mission of excellence and the opportunity to practice the highest quality medicine. “St. Jude was like a magnet. It started attracting physicians from the nation’s top medical schools and training programs,” explains Joseph Lawton, MD, a retired family medicine physician, who joined the staff in 1960. “What St. Jude offered was unique: a first-class hospital where the values of excellence and compassion
