Newly arrived patients in front of Woods Hall (October, 1944)
Description:
This black and white photograph shows new patients, mostly Navy sailors, waiting on the steps of Woods Hall on the campus of Springfield College. Some men are sitting on stairs while others are leaning on parts of the structure surrounding them. They are dressed mainly in their Navy uniforms while two men are in their cadet uniforms. A man is petting a dog while others are pictured with crutches. Many of them are smiling and talking. The photograph appeared in the October 1944 Springfield College Bulletin in a story about the US Naval Convalescent Hospital beginning operations on the campus of Springfield College. The caption under the photo reads, "Newly Arrived Patients Awaiting Chow Call in Front of Woods Hall.". During the start of World War II, Springfield College served as training grounds for the Army Air Corps, which allotted the college $90,000 for upgrading facilities. In the spring of 1944, the training program was canceled; in order to conserve its assets for expanded postwar operations in the face of decreasing student enrollment, Springfield College negotiated a contract with the U.S. Navy to serve as a Naval Special Hospital. The Navy allotted $75,000 to bring the college up to the mark of a naval hospital, and the first contingent of one hundred and fifty patients arrived on September 22, 1944, and it was estimated that five hundred patients could be served. Alumni Hall was used as the hospital, and the old dormitory (now called the Administration Building) became administrative offices and housing for nurses and WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). Handwritten on back of the photographic print were "Spfld Union" & "Used in Bul. Oct'44";
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