Week 5

Oh, technology.  In a time when smart phones and iPads are seemingly everywhere, it is easy to forget about some of the bigger, bulkier devices that existed not too long ago.  This week, I found a collection of microfiches that had to be read using a microfilm reader.

This machine was considered high tech when it was first purchased by the foundation, probably about 20 years ago.  Having never read microfiches before, I had to learn how to use a different type of technology that I hadn't encountered before.  The microfilm reader turned out to be pretty easy to use, and the microfiches that I found in the office turned out to have a lot of valuable information.  So, old technology can still come in handy!

Some of the information i found in the several boxes of microfiches in the office included the earliest board meeting minutes and detailed information on the first grants to be given by the foundation.  The board minutes included personal opinions of the board members on the purpose of the foundation, and what types of projects should be funded.  This was especially interesting to me because, up until this point, a lot of the research I had done had been focused on the legal details of the sale of Henrotin Hospital.  Learning more about the feelings of the individuals directly involved in the activities of the foundation provided a new aspect to the foundation's history.

While some of the original board members wanted to wait a few years before giving grants out, in order to save money and learn more about the public health needs in Chicago, other board members had specific ideas in mind in terms of which types of projects to fund.  Several of the board members wanted to focus on giving grants for medical education.  Others wanted the grants to focus on capital equipment for Henrotin Hospital (which still existed at this point).

I still have a lot more of the microfiches to get through, but I'm excited to see what other information I can find from them!

Week 4

Most of this week was spent working on the write-up of the foundation's history.  I also spent some time verifying the accuracy of some of the information I found last week, especially information about Henrotin Hospital.  I was able to find an old picture of Henrotin Hospital, most likely from around the time it opened:

The hospital was located in Washington Square Park (hence, the name of the current foundation) pictured below, with Newberry Library in the background.

To continue with the foundation's history-- after the hospital closed, there was debate as to what to do with the new foundation that had been formed.  After making the decision to convert from a public to a private foundation, the members of the foundation's board decided to continue the hospital's mission by giving grants to other hospitals and foundations in Chicago.  The first chairman of the board, James Lutz, had many ideas that provided the basis for the foundation today.

Lutz was born in Germany, and immigrated to the U.S. as a young man with $11 in his pocket.  He acquired a low-paying job working in a Sears warehouse, and eventually worked his way up in the company.  At one point, he began working for Montgomery Ward in Chicago.  His connection with Henrotin Hospital began when Montgomery Ward was looking for a hospital for employees to use.  He maintained his connection with the hospital for many years, and was appointed chairman of the foundation upon its formation.  The position of chairman has since been eliminated, but there have been several foundation presidents in the past 25 years that will be discussed in future posts.

The foundation today is still considered to be an extension of Henrotin Hospital, but is now located in an office a few blocks away.  Below is a picture of the foundation's board room in the John Hancock building.

That's all for now, looking forward to seeing what next week will bring!

Week 3

This week, I put together some of my initial research findings and began writing about the beginning of the Foundation.  I also made a list of some people to interview at some point this semester about their experiences with Washington Square.  Some of these people were involved in the creation of the foundation, some work for organizations that have received grants from WSHF in the past, and some of the individuals continue to have a working relationship with the foundation.  A few of the people on the list I have heard mentioned many times in the past couple years I have worked at WSHF, so I'm excited to finally get a chance to meet them!

Earlier this week, I was eager to begin writing about the foundation.  I encountered a few obstacles, however, that I had to work through, and probably will encounter again throughout the semester.  One of them was conflicting information from different sources.  I found a lot of information about Henrotin Hospital from various newspaper articles, and online books on the history of Chicago.  While most of the information I found matched up with the other sources, there were a few important facts that changed from source to source.  The year the hospital opened, whether it was named after Dr. Henrotin Junior or Senior, and the sale price of the hospital are a few of the facts that were not consistent.  I plan on checking these facts and sources with my boss, and trying to find more information using different written sources.  I also experienced a little writer's block initially, which I'm sure most other history majors have also had to deal with at one point or another.

While I've mostly been focused on learning about the sale of the hospital and start of the foundation for the first few weeks, I'm planning on researching more about the first projects that were funded by the foundation next week.