On July 8^th, the Henry R. Winkler Center received a visit from Dr. Charles Rich, Susanne Carney, and Frances Clare. Dr. Rich’s father, Major Murray L. Rich, MD, served with the 25^th General Hospital in World War II.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the summer of 1941, the U.S. Army invited the University of Cincinnati to organize the 25th General Hospital to serve as a major medical facility in the European war theater. Over 200 men and women from Cincinnati served at this facility.

Initially, we were put into contact with Dr. Rich by Frances Clare, who was Dr. Murray Rich’s medical assistant for many years. She had requested for us to send a copy of the film Along the Warpath with the 25^th, which was recently converted from its original 16mm format, to Dr. Charles Rich and to his brother, Dr. John Rich.

The film Along the Warpath was created by Jean Stevenson, MD, who acted as Chief of Surgery for the 25^th General Hospital. A copy of the original film was given to the Winkler Center by Dr. Stevenson’s son, Dr. Richard Stevenson. The picture included above of the title screen for Along the Warpath also serves as a link to a streaming version of the film.

Eventually, a tour was planned to see the Winkler Center’s collection on the 25^th in its entirety and to expand our exchange of information and memories on the subject with the inclusion of Frances Clare and Roger West, Archivist and Photographer for the Department of Surgery of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

The tour began with the Hauck gallery display as well as the historical collection of medical texts from Cincinnati. Situated around the conference table were items from our collection on the 25^th.

First was a scrapbook of photographs from Barbara Lincoln Ashbaugh, who served as the Assistant Red Cross Field Director with the 25^th. Dr. Rich was especially pleased to find a more casual picture of his father included in the album. Frances Clare was interested in reading Ashbaugh’s memoir, which is available by clicking on the picture of the title page below.

Then our discussion led to some questions concerning a bust of Major Rich that was brought back from Europe by Rich after the war and has been treasured by the Rich family for years.

A clip of the film Along the Warpath depicts a sculptor’s studio in Normandy after D-day and features a young girl posing for a bust. This footage served as a confirmation of the inscription and bolstered the provenance of the bust for the Rich family.

Among the items included in our selection for viewing was an Officer’s service cap of Hobart Mikesell, MD, UC College of Medicine graduate in the class of 1925, which was donated to the Winkler Center by Jane Younkman. The photo below is also a link to the artifact collection compiled for a virtual exhibit on the 25^th.

Finally, as a parting gift, Winkler staff provided Dr. Rich, Susanne, and Frances Clare with copies of an interview on the 25^th from our oral history series, which featured Sander Goodman, MD, Kathryn Ernests Bailey, Isobella Elsey, and Harry Meyer, MD. This interview is available for download by clicking on the photograph below.

Special thanks to Dr. Rich and Susanne Carney, Roger West, and Frances Clare for a thought-provoking visit. We also appreciate Dr. Rich’s donation of reprints written by Dr. Murray Rich for our collection.

To view our collection on the 25^th General Hospital or for a tour of the Winkler Center, please call 558-5120 or email chhp@uc.edu to schedule an appointment.