James Walker Memorial Hospital School of Nursing - Epitome Yearbook (Wilmington, NC)

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In 1943 the Federal Government aided james Walker Memorial Hospital in the construction of an additional building. The administrative offices were moved to this new building from the original building in the early part of 1944. In the basement of the building is a dispensary for the emergency treatment of patients, a modern, well-equipped laboratory, central supply, physical therapy, and a morgue with equipment for the performance of autopsies. On the first floor of this building is located South Wing I, the Intensive Care Unit and the administra- tive section. The second floor of this building houses the maternity suite and the newborn nursery. On the third floor arelocated the operating room and recovery room suites with private rooms for women patients known as South Wing III. In 1947 a new addition was added which housed the present day Women's Ward, the kitchen and dining rooms. The total number of beds of james Walker Memorial Hospital as we know it today is 285. This isliving proof of the progress and foresight of many, many devoted servants who have directed this institution since it was founded as a fifty-bed hospital in 1901. The total number of employees of this hospital as of this date is approxi- mately 500, and the medical staff consists of approximately 60 physicians and surgeons. james Walker Memorial Hospital is an accredited hospital where literally thousands of ill and desolate people have sought and found help and treat- ment. During the past fiscal year a total of 13,148 patients were discharged from this hospital and a total of 7, 100 patients had surgery performed. Of the total surgical patients 2, 694 were major procedures. During this same period a total of 27, 384 out-patients received treatment in the dispensary. When the doors of the James Walker Memorial Hospital close forever with the coming of 1967, one can look back to the day in 1901 when this institution was dedicated and repeat the words of Mr. james Sprunt who said, We, his execu- tors CMr. James Walkery, therefore, in simplicity tender you the keys of the James Walker Memorial Hospital with grateful sense of the trust which he reposed in us, and with the hope that it may long serve the human object of its generous donor. Finally, one can say that the wishes and human object of Mr. James Walker have been carried out in the long service of this noble institution. Notation: Much of the material obtained in this history was made possible through the cooperation of Dr. A. McR. Crouch, Sr. , retired, who is the official historian of the New Hanover County Medical Society. Also much information was obtained from the files of the Wilmington Messenger and the Wilmington Morning Star which are housed in the Wilmington Public Library. 7

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granted james Walker Memorial Hospital to organize and maintain a school of nursing. The first superintendent was Miss Lillie Heller QMrs. Thomas R. Littlej. The first class was composed of two students - Miss Florence Hayes QMrs. Morris Caldwellj and Miss Alberta Robinson. Mrs. Caldwell had the dis- tinction of being the first person to obtain a certificate of registration issued to a graduate nurse trained in a North Carolina School. She was registered in New Hanover County, july 1, 1903. The second class was made up of three students and each year the number has increased. As the years have passed, literally hundreds of intelligent and dedicated young women have followed in the footsteps of these two original graduates and have been graduates of this school which is one of the oldest in North Carolina. As years have passed, additions to the hos- pital have been made. A new building which now is known as the Sprunt Ward and consists of 35 beds, was built for the colored patients in 1904. This wing originally included the dispensaryand until 1921, the second floor was the Nurses' Quarters. This addition was the donation of Mr. W. H. Sprunt, who saw and realized the need for such a division for the colored people of Wilmington and New Hanover County. The total cost of this addition was ten thousand dollars. In 1915, Mr. Samuel Bear gave as a donation the Contagious Ward, named the Bear Building. This building was demolished about 1942 or 1943. Part of the present Nurses' Home is located on the original site of the Bear Building. The third addition made to james Walker Memorial Hospital was in 1917, namely the Marion Sprunt Annex, a Maternity and Children's Ward of 33 beds. Money for this addition was furnished by Dr. james Sprunt in memoriam to his daughter, Marion, whose name it bears. The Women's Ward was moved to the second floor of this building. The Nurses' Quarters over the Colored Ward became too crowded, and the need for a separate Nurses' Home was realized. This time the city desired to erect a permanent memorial to the Rev. A. D. McClure of St. Andrews Presby- terian Church. The Nursing School was close to the heart of Dr. McClure so in 1921 the city donated 5100, 000 as a memorial to be used to builda modern Nurses' Home to accommodate fifty nurses. ln 1926, the number of nurses had increased so that the home had to be enlarged. ln 1937, the capacity of the home was in- creased and again in 1943. A new wing was added to the north end of the original building in 1937 which increased the capacity of the hospital to 185 beds. This addition is known as Up- per Hall A, Lower Hall A and the basement houses the X-ray department. 6

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