The 1950s were an exciting decade for The Valley Hospital, as it was the decade the hospital officially opened!
1950s
In 1950, the Kurth Cottage Tea Room opened on the corner of North Van Dien and Linwood Avenues in Ridgewood, New Jersey, laying the cornerstone of the hospital. This was run by volunteers.
On August 5, after 13 months of construction and a series of community visiting days, The Valley Hospital was officially dedicated. It officially opened on August 8, 1951, with 108 beds, 78 physicians, and 181 employees. The first emergency surgery was an appendectomy, performed several hours before the hospital officially opened.
Valley opened its doors, supported by 44 members of the Medical Staff and 45 nurses who gathered to commemorate opening day.
On August 9, 1951, Donald Lundholm made local history as the first baby born at Valley. Mr. Lundolm would return to Valley in the 1980s to welcome his son, and then in 2010 to welcome the birth of his first grandchild.
In 1952, Valley recorded 3,847 admissions, provided 1,829 emergency treatments, and welcomed 835 babies.
Just a few years after opening, the hospital was serving thousands with many essential services, including operating room procedures and diagnostic laboratory tests.
In 1956, the Annual Report noted the need to expand to meet the demands of the burgeoning population and those who seek Valley for their medical and surgical care. Within the year, decisions were being made of how to economically provide more beds and expanded services.
In 1959, the Society of the Valley Hospital became the hospital’s official name. Members of the Society were granted voting privileges on policies and strategies to guide the hospital’s future development.
1950s Fun Facts:
Presidents: Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) and Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
Cost of Milk: A gallon was around 85 cents
Cost of Gas: Averaged 27 cents per gallon
Historical Events: In the 1950s, the Korean War began and ended (1950-1953), Charles Schultz’s Peanuts comic debuted (1950), the Civil Rights Movement grew with school segregation being ruled unconstitutional (1954) and the Montgomery Bus Boycott with Rosa Parks (1955), Elvis Presley rose to fame with Rock n’ Roll (1956), Sputnik was launched (1957), and Alaska and Hawaii became U.S. states (1959).
Be sure to check back each month as we continue to share the history of The Valley Hospital!
For more information about The Valley Hospital today, please click here.
