Gadsden GAB

2 Love of Music

2 March Employee

of the Month

3 Message from

President/CEO

3 Going the Social

Distance

4 Spoleto Festival

USA

5 BG Eats Out

5 Breaking News

6 Doc Talk

7 The Great Bridge

8 Team Members

Working Safe

9 Residents Staying

In Touch

10 Birthdays/Move

Ins

10 Through the Eyes

of Faith

11 It All Matters

11 What to Watch

While Stuck at

Home

12 Back In Time

April 2020

Issue 360

A P U B L I C A T I O N O F B I S H O P G A D S D E N

View the GAB online at www.bishopgadsden.org.

It has been a crazy time for the world, and we are all adjusting to what this “new normal” means for us. At Bishop Gadsden, we are committed to living out the “Eleventh Commandment” of flexibility. Here is an overview of how Bishop Gadsden – our residents, team members, and families – are practicing flexibility during the Coronavirus age. Our “new normal” began the first week of March. Guidelines for any residents or team members to consider when traveling were formulated based on recommendations by the CDC and the U.S. State Department. It was evident that these guidelines were going to change daily, if not hourly. At first, this was a difficult concept for many. Travel plans are exciting, well-planned, and personal to all of us. For the safety of the Community, this was the first display of flexibility Bishop Gadsden

saw from residents and team members. As the days went on, Bishop Gadsden had to adjust how we went about business. Each department was on board, becoming more and more flexible with hours, assignments, and tasks, as well as their attitudes. Every team member stepping foot in the Community has been helpful, flexible, focused, and reliable. The most significant change the Community has seen is how we receive our daily meals. The need to close all communal dining areas, all five of them, became reality, and we switched to meal delivery. Each week, residents receive the option to opt-in or out of the meal delivery and choose their desired entrées for the week ahead. The BG Culinary Team has been packaging boxed meals, bagging meals and snacks for residents, and delivering these care packages to each residence – more than 500 meals daily. Bishop Gadsden has

put in place a grocery delivery system with Harris Teeter and Publix – where residents order online and BG Team Members then pick up and deliver their orders. While a no visitor policy has been in place since March 3 in our health care areas, the entire community was closed to visitors on Sunday, March 15. Our BG nursing team has worked to keep residents comfortable and worked tirelessly to maintain a routine during quarantine. Our nursing professionals have been so dedicated while serving directly on the frontlines for our residents. In addition, our Activities team has worked with our health care residents to creatively schedule FaceTime calls with family, and implemented small-group or one-on-one activities.

With this, no visitor policy, Bishop Gadsden's security team began screening each team member, taking their temperature, and asking questions about coronavirus exposure each morning. In addition to team members, essential vendors are screened, and now, any resident who requires a medical appointment off-campus is asked to check out with Security and return within two hours. To continue adapting and adjusting, Bishop Gadsden implemented a babysitting program. Even though schools are closed and kids are home, we have essential team members that must come in and care for our residents. For day shift team members, they may opt in to bring their school-aged children to Bishop Gadsden and stay in the babysitting specific area for the duration of their shift. All of our lives have been impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19, and each day requires a new adjustment. The flexibility and willingness of the Bishop Gadsden Community has been the driving force of putting guidelines into place and doing what we can to keep each resident, team member, family member, and friend safe during this ever-evolving time we are facing. From our family to yours, stay safe, stay healthy, and remain hopeful. Our prayers are with you.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

T H E N E W N O R M A L

M a g g i e B r o w n , C o m m u n i c a t i o n s A s s i s t a n t

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L O V E O F M U S I C

M P W i l k e r s o n

Susanne Emge brings the gift of music to Arcadia Close Memory Care and makes Happy Hour happier. “It has just been a wonderful thing,” she said, “and I am blessed to be able to do it.” Her love of music started when she was very young. When she was five, she was with her parents and heard a song. They came home, and she sat down at the piano and played the melody all the way through. She had an ear for music, and began taking piano lessons when she was seven. “It was just my love,” she said. Her love of music continued, and she earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance degree from Converse College. She performed with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra when she was a sophomore in college, and she played for and with Leonard Bernstein. Leonard Bernstein was a guest, as was she, at a party the then governor, Fritz Hollings, had to honor the entire New York Philharmonic Orchestra after a performance in Columbia. Hollings, a long-time family friend of Susanne’s, decided Susanne should play for the Maestro. She tried to get out of playing but it didn’t work. “Leonard Bernstein was a small man and he hopped onto the top of piano and laid on his elbow while I played,” she said. Then he sat beside her and together they played music from West Side Story. “That was the big moment of my musical life,” she said. A native of Charleston, she married Keith Emge, her husband of 58 years, in 1962 and moved to Indiana and volunteered her musical talents. “I played the organ at my church for a good while with my child in an infant seat beside me,” she said, and she belonged to a trio of cello, violin and piano. While she had a career as an executive in the medical and banking fields, she continued to be involved in music and was active on the boards of arts groups and President of the Symphony

Board in Evansville. “It is important to be involved in community volunteer work and I am glad to have been involved with these organizations my entire life.” Some Wednesday afternoons she can be found behind the piano in Arcadia playing and conducting a sing-along the songs the residents all remember . Linda Dove, whose husband Bob is in Arcadia, said, “When Susanne is playing it is like a

conversation with the residents, not a concert, and the response is heart-warming. They love her music, her enthusiasm and her sweet smile.” The music Susanne brings came from cleaning out the house of her two aunts. They found lots of sheet music from the 30s and 40s and were going to throw it out but Susanne said, “No, no. I want it all.” She tries to pick songs that the residents know. She shows them the sheet music she is going to play, “I tell them what year and someone will say I was born that year or two years after that.” She then tells them the words for each phrase, but many know them already. She said the response is incredible. “Music is so important for people who have Alzheimer’s and they don’t lose the wonderful recall of music. You can see the joy on their faces when they sing. There are times when we pick the right song and right time and I listen to them and they remind me of the voices of angels,” she said. Her goal is to make the residents happy and relaxed. “We sing all kinds of songs even hymns and they are always nice and always attentive and get exercise, which is good for the lungs.” “It means so much to me,” she said, “and I feel badly that I can’t be with them because of the quarantine. They are such interesting people and I am blessed to have them as friends and I always look forward to playing and singing.”

M A R C H E M P L O Y E E O F T H E M O N T H

Bishop Gadsden Team Members were treated to a virtual Employee Appreciation for March! With giveaways and announcements of new Bishop Gadsden employees, team members heard from President/CEO Sarah Tipton, and Human Resources Director, Janet Lay, on how essential their roles are within the BG Community now more than ever. The virtual appreciation event closed with the announcement from BeBG Employee Voice Committee Chair, Sherline Lawson, that for March, the Employee of the Month is ALL Bishop Gadsden Team Members. This award is given due to the tremendous dedication, flexibility, and compassion that is being shown by every BG Team Member. Please see the pictures on pages 8-9 that showcase some of the images

of our team members in action during this ever-changing time.

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M E S S A G E F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T / C E O

S a r a h T i p t o n

Over the past few weeks, without fail, I have at least one moment each day where my brain completely detaches from our present reality. Does this happen to you too? Sometimes it only lasts a second, sometimes a whole minute or two. Often it’s when I open the door to head out and the scents and sights of the outdoors rush in. A quick walk can bring it on, as I take in the flowers, chattering birds, sunshine and blue skies that have been so abundant over the past several weeks. Actually, I don’t even notice I’ve drifted away from reality until I’m plunged back into it. It can feel a bit like an April Fools! Just what is our current reality? Over the past month, we’ve experienced so much constant and rapid change there has been no such thing as “current”. What is in one moment “current” - news, processes, information – is quickly replaced, with little time to

adjust and stabilize. At Bishop Gadsden, we have changed the way we conduct our lives in countless ways. We don’t dine together any more. “Social distancing”, two words we’d never heard strung together before last month, is now part of our daily practice and common lexicon. We find ourselves insecure about toilet paper. Who could have thought?? As the impact of the coronavirus pandemic has unfolded, it seems the only thing we’ve been able to count on has been the pace of enormous change. And yet, as we relentlessly pursue strategies to protect our Community, and despite our numerous anxieties in the face of this crisis, here at BG we can’t help but notice something else that has “gone viral”. Residents calling by phone and across balconies to check on one another. Supportive emails and notes of gratitude pouring in. Team members smiling cheerfully through the challenge of every new change in procedure. Videos, treats and messages from family members to health care teams caring for their loved ones. Creative problem-solving to meet residents’ and team members’ every day needs. Beautiful photographs and inspiring words shared. Prayers spoken and penned. Empathy and grace given to those under stress. There is a generosity of spirit here that is outpacing a pandemic. No matter the changes we’re dealing with or what lies ahead, Bishop Gadsden rests in its state of natural equilibrium: that of compassion for one another. We place our faith in God who has cared for this Community for 170 years, and who connects us inextricably to one another. Through these bonds we create our Community – our “common unity”. Together we are a blessing to each other and the world around us. This is our reality. Past, present, and future. Thanks be to God.

Helen Pruitt 4/11/1936-3/18/2020

Raymond “Ray” Johnson 4/14/1933-3/20/2020

The GAB Electronically! If you would like to receive the GAB electronically, email stephanie.ochipinti@bishopgadsden.org to be placed on the mailing list. The GAB is always viewable on our website—www.bishopgadsden.org .

I N L O V I N G M E M O R Y

When Betty Weber awoke on March 25, her 90th birthday, she had no idea what kindness would be bestowed upon her by her neighbors. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, residents have been asked to keep social gatherings to a minimum, no more than three people, and reminding them to keep to the social distancing guidelines of 6-feet apart. Betty and Leo were supposed to have a special celebration but had to cancel due to current circumstances. So, one neighbor not wanting to forgo Betty’s birthday came up with the best way to deliver her gift. As you can see in the picture, residents Annie and Barry Bonk (above in the photo) lowered Betty’s gift using good old fashion string! Betty was very excited to receive her birthday gift via air mail and thankful for friends like Annie and Barry.

Hope you had a wonderful birthday, Betty!

G O I N G T H E S O C I A L D I S T A N C E

E d i t o r i a l S t a f f

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S P O L E T O F E S T I V A L U S A

A n g e l a E s t e s

Charleston-based Spoleto Festival USA is considered by many to be the world’s most comprehensive international arts festival. This year’s 17-day event beginning May 22 through June 7, has been canceled for the first time in the Festival’s history, all due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year would have celebrated Charleston’s 350th Anniversary with works by Charleston-born artists as well as the world premiere of an opera based on the autobiography of a 37-year old scholar captured and brought to Charleston where he was sold as a slave. Founded in 1977 by composer Gian Carol Menotti, Spoleto engages its audiences with a broad palette of the arts, with the goal to cram as many aspects of the arts into a 17-day season as possible. Committed to all forms of the performing arts, offerings include classical music, opera, jazz, folk music, Bluegrass, theater, dance, the visual arts, sculpture, and more recently, physical theater. The festival’s breadth of the arts and varied venues have kept Spoleto USA fresh and relevant, an enticing

event for varied tastes and interests. Menotti wanted an American counterpart to his Spoleto Italy Festival established in 1958. Searching for a city with the old-world charm of Spoleto, Italy, Menotti settled on Charleston despite of the fact that the city was in economic decline. Mayor Joseph Riley and the president of the College of Charleston, and past BG resident, Theodore Stern recognized that Spoleto could revive the city, enticing Menotti’s team with the city’s historic charms and its varied indoor and outdoor venues that would meet the performance requirements of the broad range of Festival events. The city’s sense of hospitality was a plus, and throughout Spoleto’s 44 year history, the College of Charleston and Charlestonians have housed and provided performers with meals and hospitality. Bishop Gadsden resident Susan Sanders recalls the initial years of Spoleto, when she was the administrative assistant to Spoleto’s executive director. Her responsibilities included media relations, the visual arts and volunteers. Susan worked directly with Menotti to coordinate the production of the official Christian Thee poster for the first year and then worked with Robert Indiana, the artist who designed the poster for the second year. The first year’s event, which received national attention when the New York Times magazine wrote an article on Spoleto prior to the festival, was considered a huge success with 12,000 attendees. The second year the festival received another boost when Tom Brokaw and Jane Pauley broadcast the Today Show from the Dock Street Theater. Spoleto provides promising young artists the opportunity to perform in a professional setting as well as interact with well-known artists. The Spoleto orchestra is comprised of young musicians selected by audition who perform at both the American and the Italian festivals. Bishop Gadsden resident Katy Huger, a 10-year Spoleto volunteer, recalls meeting the young rising star Yo-Yo Ma who performed in the first Festival. Other artists who performed at the Festival early in their careers include Renee Fleming, Emanuel Ax and Joshua Bell. Established artists such as Tennessee Williams, Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Charles participated in the second year’s event, which grew to 18,000 attendees. In recent years, attendance has been between 70,000 and 80,000 annually. Susan Sanders noted that in the first year, the staff worked hard, then raced to attend the performance as well as the parties. She has fond memories of standing in the back of The Dock Street Theater to listen to chamber music and then getting dressed in a ball gown to attend the opera. She says she feels privileged to have worked for Spoleto, to meet the people associated with events and to attend the performances and parties. A special memory is that her nine-year old son performed in two productions, including Menotti’s opera Juana La Loca. Although Spoleto 2020 has been canceled we hope many Bishop Gadsden residents will take the opportunity to attend Spoleto 2021, a tantalizing smorgasbord of art events over the course of 17 days that will delight and be sure to please.

Spoleto Festival USA 1978: L to R—Gian Carlo Menotti, Robert Indiana (Official Poster Artist) and Susan Sanders.

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imported cheese and cold cuts. An array of desserts awaits you: New York, turtle and red velvet cheesecakes, triple layered chocolate mousse cake, key lime pie, Brazilian flan, crème brûlee and vanilla and chocolate gelatos. Let me caution you right now: Don’t fill up on the salad bar items, beautiful as they are, or on the filling hot dishes. Save lots of room for the delicious barbequed meats

that will be offered to you tableside. You can always visit the salad and hot dish bar again later on if you’re still hungry. There is a great selection of drinks and cocktails. I suggest you begin with a Caipirinha ($8.00). It’s the traditional Brazilian cocktail pronounced “kai-pee-REEN-ya”. It’s essentially a Brazilian daquiri made from Brazilian rum called cachaça (“kah-SHA-sah) that’s made from original sugar cane rather than molasses like most rums. It’s a mixture of cachaça, lime juice and sugar over ice. Caipirinha means “a little country thing” since it was the traditional after -work drink of Brazilian field workers, just as the daquiri was in the Spanish colonies. It’s very easy to make one at home in your favorite short glass, substituting white rum for the cachaca you may not stock in your bar. Two is my limit. It tastes so good, goes down smoothly and can really sneak up on you. So, nurse it. Find the Cowboy Steak House in North Charleston at 2411 Mall Drive. You drive North on I-26 to the East Montague Exit. Turn right onto East Montague and then left at the light onto Mall Drive. The restaurant will be on the right. It is in front of North Charleston Town Hall with plenty of parking. Phone is 843-744-9000. It is open 5:00 PM 9:00 PM, Monday through Thursday, 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Friday, 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Check Groupon to see if there are specials the night you go. It will probably be awhile, but I think you’ll enjoy the evening when restaurants are back open for business.

B G E A T S O U T : C O W B O Y S T E A K H O U S E

A d e l a i d e W a l l i n g e r

The Cowboy Steak House in North Charleston is a typical Brazilian churrascaria (barbeque restaurant). Brazilian cowboys cook seasoned beef on long sewers over glowing coals and then slice off the seasoned outside meat. The meat left on the skewer is then seasoned and placed over the coals again. The Cowboy Steakhouse offers you the same delicious barbequed meat that you’d find at cattle ranches in Brazil. Waiters bring the meat tableside on long skewers and cut off slices for each customer. These popular churrascarias in Brazil were among Scott’s favorites during the many years he went there regularly on company business. Filet mignon, beef ribs, top sirloin, Brazilian linguiça (“ling-gwee-sah”) sausage, lamb chops, leg of lamb and pork Parmesan are delicious examples of what you’ll be offered. It’s a fun place to go with a group. Always nice to get up and leave after dinner–no cleaning up, the most arduous task of group dining. Price of dinner is $39.95 – all you can eat. That includes a 30-item salad bar, six hot Brazilian dishes and 16 cuts of beef, chicken, pork and lamb. Also available is just the salad bar for $24.95, featuring a 30-item salad bar and six hot Brazilian dishes. Hot dishes include rice, Balsamic mushroom blend, black beans, Brazilian collard greens, cinnamon crusted pineapple, mashed potatoes and the soup of the day. Kids under five years eat free – kids from six to 12 pay $16.95. The salad bar will really wow you: Apple salad, artichoke pasta salad, asparagus, beets, Brazilian chicken salad and potato salad and broccoli, Caesar, cucumber and feta pasta salads. Also: Fresh Mozzarella cheese, hearts of palm, Jumbo shrimp and mixed vegetable salad. Also, Roasted red peppers, smoked salmon, spinach, tabouli, tomatoes, and

B R E A K I N G N E W S A T B G

On the morning of Friday, March 27, Brendan of Samet Construction, the project manager for Bishop Gadsden’s Health and Rehab Center, burst into Sarah’s office holding a sturdy, iron box that appeared to look like something that would hold a buried treasure. “My initial reaction was, ‘Well, open it!’” said Sarah. Brendan cracked open the rusted, iron padlock and found more than you would even imagine. “I could not believe my eyes,” said Brendan. Inside the box, Sarah and Brendan found colonial era gold coins, gold jewelry and gemstones. Brendan and Sarah both said they did not expect this loot to be real. Sarah decided to call Marianna Hay of Croghan’s Jewel Box, to take a look at this treasure found on BG soil. After some examination, Marianna called Sarah to let her know every piece appeared to be real, dating back to the 18th century, with an approximate value of more than $1 million dollars. Sarah said she began smiling from ear to ear. But, that smile quickly turned into a grin…APRIL FOOLS!

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scientist at the Lederle Laboratories. Now, as you may have guessed, the virus was an enteric intestinal virus labeled polio, or poliomyelitis. Viruses are said by virologists to be “bad news wrapped in protein”. Unable to survive on their own, they must invade a living cell in order to reproduce. They are the simplest, smallest infectious agents seen only by electron microscopy, which was developed in the 1930s. Jonas Salk developed a killed virus vaccine that could be marketed quickly and produce few side effects. The Salk field trials of 1954

successfully involved two million children in the United States. Albert Sabin and Hilary Kaprowski designed a live virus vaccine that triggered a natural infection to generate lasting antibodies too weak to actually produce polio. Sabin field-tested his vaccine in Russia; Koprowski’s was tested in Ireland, Eastern Europe, and Africa. Although the live or attenuated vaccines produced a better immunity than did the killed virus vaccine, the health risks were higher. So, I bet that many thought this story was about COVID-19. It does sound familiar! Also, interestingly enough, the idea of vaccinating children free of charge led to a heated debate among doctors about the horrors of socialized medicine. The American Medical Association in 1954 voiced its disapproval of providing vaccinations in the schools and health departments instead of in private doctors’ offices. The AMA used similar arguments to defeat Truman’s national health insurance plan in 1948. One doctor asked, “Does the Salk vaccine program constitute a brainwash to condition Americans for the docile acceptance of regimented medicine?” President Eisenhower and the Congress went on record in support of the physician’s role in administering the polio vaccine, ending the idea of low-cost immunizations of the masses at that time. In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee concluded that the benefits of the live virus or Sabin vaccine no longer justified the risks. Thus, the CDC recommended the Sabin vaccine be used only among those traveling to endemic areas of polio outbreaks and reserve the Salk killed virus vaccine for use in the United States.

D O C T A L K : C O N T A G I O N !

D r . J a c k H i s l e y

San Angelo, a county seat in West Texas between Abilene and Del Rio at the Mexican border, is the home of farms, oil wells, and cattle. Goodfellow Field, a United States Air Force base, is located there. People became alarmed when several patients with a debilitating acute viral illness presented to the local hospital. As the number of illnesses mounted, the city health officer issued guidelines for a disease that had no cause, prevention, or cure. He cautioned people to avoid crowds, wash hands frequently, and get plenty of rest. Soon bars, restaurants, theaters, and even churches shut their doors. Visitors steered clear of town. People would not even shake hands. The viral epidemic was blamed on migrant workers who tended crops and livestock. City health officials began monitoring the health of the migrants. Nothing seemed to be effective in curtailing the spread of disease. Infected people were turned away from the local hospital, which was already filled beyond capacity. Outbreaks appeared rapidly throughout the world, as well as in the U.S. The contagion seemed to target the world’s most advanced nation. The virus spread through defenseless towns in the U.S. like a small town in western North Carolina. Infected patients soon overwhelmed the local hospital in Hickory, NC. Homes were quarantined, and movie theaters, schools, and public libraries were closed. Many businesses in this furniture-manufacturing town shuttered their doors and a makeshift hospital was constructed to isolate infected patients. Since there was no cure for the disease, prevention was the only solution to the problem. Vaccines have been successful against other viruses such as smallpox and rabies. In order to produce a vaccine that is preventative, scientists must identify the particulars of the virus, develop a significant supply of the virus type for use in a vaccine, and determine how the virus works. As one may expect, development of a vaccine takes concentrated, focused months to years to develop. Three virologists, leaders in their field and intellectual competitors, were up to the task. They were Dr. Albert Sabin, University of Cincinnati, Dr. Jonas Salk, University of Pittsburgh, and Dr. Hilary Koprowski, a

The New Health and Rehab Center Ground Blessing set for April 14, 2020,

will be rescheduled for the summer.

The 2019 Donors and Volunteers will be celebrated during the Ground Blessing.

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T H E G R E A T B R I D G E

R a y H o u l i h a n

Over 50 years ago, a young talented, author named David McCullough was enjoying the success of his latest literary effort. Ironically, in writing about the catastrophe of the Johnstown Flood, he had launched a national best seller. Having written about this tragedy he was eager to write about a much more positive historic event. To the surprise of his many readers he chose an unlikely subject but at the same time, a triumph for American 19th century engineering. The post-Civil War era was changing America and the world rather suddenly. His new effort, with the interesting title of The Great Bridge, challenged his readers to discover what this story was all about. The bridge in question turned out to be the span well known now as the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1867, John G. Roebling was already a famous engineer with a world-wide reputation, but this was the project of a life time and his greatest challenge. The east river dividing Manhattan from Brooklyn was very short but very wide. It was so wide that no thought had ever been given to a bridge capable of spanning a width of more than one mile wide. Nevertheless, Roebling and his engineering group spent two years designing two towers strong enough to support this proposed monster edifice. Construction of the first tower began in 1869. Six months later, Roebling died after a brief illness. Fortunately, he had planned for his oldest son, 31-year-old Washington Roebling, to take charge of this highly complex project. Despite widespread criticism of the young man, his extraordinary engineering skills made it possible to replace his father without a hitch in construction. The world’s longest suspension bridge was to be anchored by two giant towers at the banks of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Between the two towers, traffic up and down the river continued without interruption. The lowest point of the bridge would still be 200 feet above the high tide level of the river. This would allow clearance for the very largest ships. Building these two massive towers was easily the biggest single challenge to this historic project. In order to anchor the towers in bedrock they would have to be set approximately 85 feet below the high-water mark. Hundreds of workers were required and much of the time they were toiling in pressurized air. To achieve this requirement, a huge container made of wood and iron filled with compressed air was sent to the bottom of the river. The compressed air would keep the water out and make it possible for workers to dig out the

river bed. The box would sink deeper and deeper until it hit firm footing. Then the excavation could stop, and the interior of the box would be fully filled with concrete to form the foundation for the bridge tower. In three years, both towers were completed. Working daily underwater proved too much for Roebling’s health and he would never again work at the bridge site. His wife Emily wrote down his instructions and delivered them to the bridge site each day. The towers were now complete and construction

turned to the Roebling cable company to design the massive cables that would support the bridge road bed between the towers. The giant cables carrying this support were 16 inches wide. They were made up of 15 individual cable one inch in thickness and wrapped together to make the gigantic super cable. This new cable system proved highly successful and the road way it held in place was absolutely safe and stable. Following the installation of the cables, the major engineering work was complete and construction would move to its finish without interruption. Mayor Low of Brooklyn and Mayor Grace of Manhattan decided to rid themselves of the chief engineer. They then could take the lion’s share of the credit for this masterpiece.

They met with Roebling to make him an offer to step down with full pay and benefits. To their great surprise, he turned them down flat, stating he intended to run the project to the very last day. Although surprised, they went back to their directors determined to vote him out. When the vote was finally taken, Roebling was retained in his role by a 10 to 7 margin. The bridge finally opened for passengers at the end of May, 1883. The inauguration was made spectacular by the installation of the newly created electric light bulb. Sixty of these were strung along the length of the bridge producing a dazzling light show. It took 15 years and 15 million dollars to complete the largest engineering project since the Pharaohs built the pyramids in 2000 B.C. There was one more dramatic chapter in the life of this extraordinary engineer. Thirty-seven years later, in 1920, Roebling Wire Company was in crisis because of the death of two Roebling cousins who had been co-CEOs. Desperate for a Roebling CEO, they turned to the now 80-year-old Washington to take the helm. He served for five and a half years until his death in 1926. During that time, he transitioned the company from gas to electricity, making the company one of the most efficient in the world.

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T E A M M E M B E R S S T A Y I N G H E A L T H Y , S A F E , A N D

H A P P Y W H I L E H E L P I N G I N A N Y W A Y T H E Y C A N

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S T A Y I N G A C T I V E , I N T O U C H , A N D S A F E

D U R I N G T H E C O V I D - 1 9 P A N D E M I C

The GAB Electronically! If you would like to receive the GAB electronically, email

stephanie.ochipinti@bishopgadsden.org to be placed on the mailing list. The GAB is always

viewable on our website—www.bishopgadsden.org .

Page 10

A P R I L B I R T H D A Y S

S E E I N G T H R O U G H E Y E S O F F A I T H

T h e R e v . M a r y J o h n s t o n e

View the GAB online at www.bishopgadsden.org

4 Betty Stafford

5 Jack Canter

5 Joanne McRae

7 John Breza

7 Frances Fawcett

8 Sue Brauer

8 Dottie Pagliaro

9 Katherine Garrott

10 David Mann

11 Lib Hostutler

12 Tom McDermott

12 Tom Messervy

12 John Scofield

12 Adelaide Wallinger

15 Sarah Daley

16 Lasca Lilly

17 Pete Carter

18 John Boatwright

18 John Purdy

19 Chuck Davis

19 Eleanor Mulbry

19 Patricia Muller

20 Martha Roberts

22 Floyd Finch

23 Pat Mesel

23 Ellen Read

24 Carolyn Lee

24 Anne Prussing

25 Liz Stewart

26 Miriam Bassett

27 Peggy Buchanan

28 Caroline Danowitz

30 Jeanne Radziwon

New Move-Ins

Carolyn Lee

There is nothing more conducive to prayer and meditation for me than walking, listening, looking, and appreciating God’s glorious Creation on a sunny day! Most days, I walk one to three miles around the ponds at Bishop Gadsden. Yesterday, between showers, I spotted a large bird with peach-colored breast perched on top of a pole. When it took off, it showed black and white stripes on its wings and tail. Perhaps some kind of hawk? I heard wind chimes dangling from the third-floor porch of an apartment, and saw bunches of deep pink azaleas and saucy yellow jonquils and daffodils, while birdsong filled the air with music. Spring begins a season of beauty all around, the whisper of God calling us to respond in praise and gratitude. Have you ever felt called to duck into a church to sit for a while, admiring humanity’s tribute to the glory of God? Early one morning, on our boat cruise in February, I walked ‘round the Isle of Hope harbor south of Savannah, and discovered a tiny Episcopal chapel beckoning to me to come in. I tried the door with no success. A cyclist on his morning rounds noticed my effort and stopped to say, “It’s OPEN, 24/7. Go on in. I do every day.” Encouraged, I pushed in instead of out, and found a simple post and beam chapel open for prayer. On my wall at home hangs a water color of Salisbury Cathedral, partly enshrouded by fog, its steeple reflected in the river flowing by, an inspiring memory of a pilgrimage to southwest England. As my husband, Bob, and I rounded the corner and saw that steeple, I burst into tears. The slender tower proclaimed the majesty of the unseen world beyond ours, pointing to the stars and inviting us inside. We walked slowly toward the entrance, and heard music. Entering cautiously, we sat quietly in a pew in the rear behind a large assembly attending a funeral. The choir and organ were singing Richard Shephard’s “Never Weather Beaten Sail”. We soared with the sweet melody as it came to rest in E major. Sitting through that service filled us with the sweetness of God’s Holy Spirit, a cherished memory of grace in a holy place. Bob and I were inspired to commission an anthem by Richard Shephard for the 300th Anniversary of the founding of Trinity Church in Newport, where I was Ordained in 1989. Richard came to visit Newport and Trinity and spent time researching appropriate poetry for the anthem. The result was “What Love Is This” for SATB Choir, Trumpet and Organ. By the time the celebration of Trinity’s 300th took place in 1998, we had moved on to Grace Church in Charleston, SC. But later we visited Richard in another Holy Place where he was Organist and Composer in Residence at York Minster Cathedral, set in the Medieval town of York, in northeast England. Our worldview, as seen through the eyes of faith, is able to imagine holy places almost anywhere, thanks be to God.

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I T A L L M A T T E R S

T h e R e v . G a l e C o o p e r

W H A T T O W A T C H W H I L E S T U C K A T H O M E

A d e l a i d e W a l l i n g e r

The Gadsden GAB is a monthly publication written by and for the residents of Bishop Gadsden. Submissions from all residents and staff are welcome and are used on a space-available basis.

Jack Hisley, Editor

Kimberly Borts, Managing Editor

Stephanie Ochipinti, Assistant Managing Editor

Maggie Brown

Faith Dodge

Angela Estes

Ray Houlihan

Katie Jayne

Adelaide Wallinger

M P Wilkerson

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B A C K I N T I M E : J O S E P H P U L I T Z E R & T H E C H A R L E S T O N H A R B O R - 1 9 1 1

D r . J a c k H i s l e y

The Statue of Liberty, France’s 1886 gift to America, lacked a pedestal, so Pulitzer turned to his New York World readers to raise $100,000 for a suitable base for the national monument. The paper proudly published the name of every donor who contributed at least one penny for the cause. Over $100,000 was raised in six months.

During the Spanish and American War in 1898, the newspaper war between The New York World and rival publisher William Randolph Hearst became notorious. The story of that bitter conflict was told in the 1941 Orson Welles’ film Citizen Kane. Although Pulitzer had bravely fought for the Union Army during the American Civil War, he had married a Southerner who was related to Jefferson Davis, the Confederacy’s president. Joseph Pulitzer, once a Eastern European vagrant on the slum streets of St. Louis, amassed a fortune, and ultimately became a member of the class he had frequently criticized in The New York World paper. He was a generous philanthropist who donated millions to just causes and founded the Columbia School of Journalism in New York, along with the

Pulitzer Prizes for journalistic excellence. The Pulitzer Prize, established in 1917, a few years after his death, is awarded every April for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States. In 1911, Pulitzer boarded his steam yacht (SY) Liberty in New York and headed for Jekyll Island, Georgia. for a much-needed vacation from his hectic schedule. While en route, he developed an acute illness. The Liberty anchored in Charleston Harbor to allow his aides to arrange medical assistance. Joseph Pulitzer, poor Jewish immigrant from Eastern Europe, one of the huddled masses, veteran of the American Civil War, journalist, wealthy publisher of The New York World, the “voice of the people”, and well-known philanthropist, died of congestive heart failure on October 29, 1911, aboard his yacht Liberty, moored in Charleston’s Harbor. He was 64 years old.

Joseph Pulitzer was born Jozsef Politzer on April 10, 1847, to a wealthy family of Magyar-Jewish origin in Mako, Hungary, near the Romanian border. His father and most of his siblings died when he was very young. During the American Civil War, U.S. recruiters traveled to Europe in search of able-bodied men to join the military because so many healthy American men had paid fees to avoid conscription. Pulitzer left his oppressed Jewish community in Hungary and used his enlistment bonus of $200 to migrate to New York. At the tender age of 17, he joined the Lincoln Calvary, New York 1st Regiment to become a Sheridan trooper. After the war, young Pulitzer headed west on a “side-door Pullman”, an enclosed railway freight car with sliding doors, or boxcar. He settled in St. Louis, Missouri, where a large European immigrant community had been established. It was there that he embarked on his career in journalism. Fluent in German and French, Pulitzer worked at the German-language press until 1878 when he was financially able to purchase the nearly bankrupt St. Louis Dispatch newspaper at a public auction, and merged the publication with the St. Louis Evening Post to create the St. Louis Post and Dispatch. At the age of 25, he had become a rising figure on the journalistic scene. The year was also highlighted by his Episcopal Church marriage to Kate Davis, a prominent Washington socialite. Years later and financially successful, Joseph sold the Post-Dispatch and moved east where he acquired The New York World newspaper. He invested countless hours in the publication, tirelessly working from early morning until midnight and beyond and delighted in highlighting articles and editorials that assailed government corruption, wealthy tax-dodgers, and gamblers. He established a reputation of “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable”, and soon became a scourge of the robber barons of the time.