From the Conrad R. Lam Archives

Halloween Party in the Henry Ford Hospital Department of Pediatrics, c.1930s.

The care of children at Henry Ford Hospital began early in 1918 under Dr. John Chalmers Montgomery. The Department of Pediatrics was later established by Dr. Irvine McQuarrie in 1927. During the depression years, Henry Ford Hospital collaborated with many Michigan social service agencies to aid families and their children in need. The hospital hosted $1.00 pediatric examinations, an adjunct school, physical therapy and many special events, such as the annual Halloween celebration for the Pediatric patients and staff members.

The colorful event was held either in the hospital rooftop solarium or in the open porches of the Pediatric department. The nurses transformed the wards into a Halloween gala with decorations of cornstalks, decorated pumpkins and autumnal floral arrangements of mums and marigolds. The children were dressed in costumes, often created out of hospital linens and treated to a feast of candied apples and sweets specially created by the hospital bakery. The highlight of the party was the magic show by the staff magician, Arthur Whelpy, who also worked as the Chief Dental Technician in the 1930's. – Melanie Bazil, Senior Archivist