Saginaw General School of Nursing

“Saginaw [General] hospital deserves liberal support for every one who is able to give, and even the mites are not unwelcome. This is an institution that not only does a great deal of good in the care of the sick and injured, but it is year by year training young women for the noble work of trained nurses, and it takes money to maintain such an institution.”

-The Saginaw Evening News, November 4, 1885.

The following outline of the history of Saginaw General Hospital’s School of Nursing comes from Tender Loving Cooking, a cookbook published by the Saginaw General Hospital School of Nursing in 1987:

Class of 1891, Magdalena Steinkopf

HISTORY OF SAGINAW GENERAL HOSPITAL SCHOOL OF NURSING

1891 - 1969

Saginaw General Hospital was incorporated in 1887 as a 50 bed hospital and built at a cost of $11,000. The School of Nursing was established in 1889 and Magdelena Steinhoff became its 1st graduate in 1891. She received a grade of 100% on her written examination which included such questions as how to mix a boric acid solution. Her instructor stated ‘the only thing to find fault with is your spelling and under the circumstances you are not to blame for that--many a president of the United States was a poor speller.’

Class of 1892. Georgia Tyle, Adelaide Thompson, Martha Hood and Elizabeth Allerton.

Over the years 1,245 nurses graduated from the School of Nursing. An alumni association was formed in 1902 with the purpose to further the ideals of the nursing profession. That organization is still active today and nurtured by Miss Eleanor H. Howard a 1920 SGH Nursing School graduate.

Miss Howard remembers that ‘uniforms for students were a plain blue dress, four inches from the floor, and an apron that was made from a double white bed sheet. If you were on the wrong side of slimness, that didn't make you look any better.’ She recalls having to wear long sleeves with a wide stiff 6-inch cuff. "Imagine trying to give someone a bath with those cuffs." In those days, a student nurse received no pay for the 1st three months while she was on ‘probation', and after that was paid $2 a month for three years, with free room and board.

SGH alumni have long been active in service to country and profession. Fourteen nurses served in WWI and forty in WWII. 1937 graduate, Aleda Lutz, served as a WWII flight nurse and heroine who died in service to our country. She received the distinguished flying cross and air medal. From 1945 to 1969 a graduating senior was honored with the Aleda Lutz Award for Outstanding Clinical and Academic Achievement.

The present SGH nurse cap with a black band first appeared in1925. That same year Miss Howard attended an International Council of Nurses meeting in Helengfors, Finland.

SGH alumni have scattered to many corners of the USA and beyond. When the school closed in 1969, faculty became part of the Delta College Nursing faculty and many still serve as instructors today. Magdelena Steinhoff and the succeeding SGH alumni have left a fine heritage.” (From Tender Loving Cooking published in 1987.)

Since the publication of this history 39 years ago, many of the graduates of the Saginaw General Hospital School of Nursing have passed away, and the organization is no longer active.

The Recipe: Judy Gillman Phillpotts’ Recipe for Garlic Toast

Spatz’s* day old bread

Butter

Garlic powder

Garlic salt

Butter bread, cut each slice into 4 pieces. Fill cookie sheet with pieces.

Sprinkle with garlic powder and then sprinkle with

garlic salt.

Place in oven on bottom rack at 350°. Then repeat and fill another cookie sheet as above. When finished place sheet from bottom rack on to top rack and place second sheet on bottom rack. When top sheet is golden brown color, empty on tray to cool. Place second sheet on top, another on the bottom, etc. When cool store in zip lock bags. Keeps for ages. Great to do ahead of time. Judy Gillman Phillpotts, 53’

From Tender Loving Cooking, published by the Saginaw General Hospital School of Nursing Alumni in 1987.

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CTK Notes:

-We confess, our Spatz bread was fresh and our production schedule did not allow an extra day for it to age. Although it worked fine, it would have been easier to spread butter on drier bread.

-This is very similar to the garlic toast served in several Saginaw residents.

-For more information about Judy Phillpotts, we turn to her obituary:

“Beloved wife, mother, grandmother and sister passed away early Monday, August 14, 2006 at the Cartwright Hospice Residence. Age 73 years. Judy was born September 18, 1932, the daughter of  Bernard J. and Mildred W. (Martin) Gillman in Auburn, Michigan. She married Donald C. Phillpotts on May 5, 1956 in Pinconning, Mich. Judy graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing in 1953. She worked as a Registered Nurse for St. Mary’s Hospital and the late Dr. Victor Hill, Sr. She was very dedicated to the nursing profession and was active in St. Mary’s Hospital Nurses Alumni Association and Saginaw General Hospital Nurses Association. She was a life-member of St. Mary’s Hospital Auxiliary and was active in its thrift sales. She was Past-President of the East Central District of the Association of Hospital Auxiliaries. She was a member and president of the Board of Hospital Hospitality House and Hearth House. She was also a member of St. Stephen Catholic Church. She enjoyed volunteering in many civic and community activities [one of these was serving on the Castle Museum’s acquisition committee.]” (The Saginaw News, August 15, 2006.)

*This link will take you to a brief history of Spatz Bakery.