Archives West Finding Aid

Herbert Townsend (b. 1906) discusses his early life in Stevensville, Dillon, and Missoula, Montana; health care during his childhood; the 1930s Depression; employment with Dr. C.R. Thornton (founder of Thornton Hospital); service in the U.S. Army during 1930s; courses in veterinary medicine; service in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II; work as a carpenter; his ranch; work in a sawmill; electrification of Seeley Lake area in the 1950s; employment with Broken Arrow Ranch; the community of Seeley Lake from 1930s thru 1980s; the local timber industry; and his environmental concerns. Interviewed by John Terreo, September 20, 1990, Seeley Lake, MT.

Beatrice Kaasch (b. 1912), a Fergus County, Montana native, discusses her ancestry and early childhood; homesteading; the 1930s Depression; nursing school; nursing techniques; her job as a science instructor at St. James, St. Vincent, and St. John's hospitals and at Carroll College in Helena; her various nursing positions; changes in nursing education; her work as president of the Montana State Board of Nursing; rural health care; nursing credentials. Interviewed by John Terreo, November 16, 1989, Laurel, MT.

Frank Newman discusses rural and community health care; the WAMI (Washington, Montana, and Idaho) Physicians Education and Training Program and his involvement in it; recruitment of health care professionals to Montana's rural areas; WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) rural health delivery systems; HEALTHCON (the electronic information resource system for health professionals); experiences as an instructor of microbiology at Montana State University; academic issues regarding medical education; employment as director of AHEC (the Montana Area Health Education Center); and the Medical Assistance Facilities Demonstration Project. Interviewed by John Terreo, November 21, 1989, Missoula, MT.

Jan Leishman discusses her training and education as a student nurse at Montana State University from 1976 to 1981; working in St. Ignatius and at St. James Hospital in Butte; working as a registered nurse/midwife in Bozeman; the affects of liability insurance on midwifery; discrimination; rural health care; credentials. Interviewed by John Terreo, Nov. 21, 1989, Bozeman, Mont.

Anna Shanon (b. 1929) discusses her childhood in Dillon, Montana; experiences as a student nurse at Missouri Baptist Hospital, St. Louis; initial experiences in nursing; work as dean of the Montana State University School of Nursing; organizing the consortium of the Schools of Nursing in Montana; complexities and economics of nursing and nursing education; affects legislative and political issues on nursing. Interviewed by John Terreo, November 22, 1989, Bozeman, MT.

Bertha Kenison (b. 1913) describes her childhood in Lima, Montana in the 1920s; her work as a nurse's aide at the Barrett Hospital in Dillon from 1959 to 1975; changes in health care; and raising children in Dillon. Interviewed by John Terreo, December 6, 1989, Dillon, MT.

Montana nurse, Clarabel Bogut (b. 1911), discusses her childhood near Malta, Montana; disease and quarantines; training in Deaconess Hospital, Great Falls; her 15-year career as a college nurse at Western Montana College, Dillon; work as a Beaverhead County health nurse. Interviewed by John Terreo, December 6, 1989, Dillon, MT.

John Seidensticker (b. 1915) discusses his childhood on a ranch; attending Twin Bridges schools; medical school; service in the army in Europe during World War II; his work as a physician in Madison County, serving the state orphanage and hospitals at Sheridan and Dillon; medical care changes; and his retirement. Interviewed by John Terreo, December 7, 1989, Dillon, MT.

Albert Juergens (b. 1918), a physician in Dillon, Montana discusses his medical experiences with the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry in Europe during World War II; his residence in Salmon, Idaho after the war; and establishment of a medical practice in Dillon in 1950; Dillon area medical care, federal government regulations and programs; liability insurance. Interviewed by John Terreo, December 7, 1989, Dillon, MT.

Anna Sherrick discusses her childhood and schooling in Illinois; her instructor's position at Deaconess Hospital in Great Falls; the Montana State University School of Nursing in Bozeman; the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II; changes in training; modern medical care. Interviewed by John Terreo, December 6, 1989, Bozeman, MT.

Wilma Catron (b. 1944) discusses her childhood and health care training in Glasgow, Montana; experiences as a nurse's aide at Trinity Hospital, Wolf Point, and Francis Mahon Deaconess Hospital, Glasgow; work as a hospice aide for St. Peter's Hospital, Helena. Interviewed by John Terreo, January 22, 1990, Helena, MT.

Bonnie Adee (b. 1947) describes her involvement in the St. Peter's Hospital Hospice Program including its early beginnings; its administration by the Westmont Health Services, and its acquisition by St. Peter's in early 1980s; funding of programs; development of volunteer and professional Hospice care nurses, aides, and counselors; affects of liability laws and state and federal legislation on hospices locally and nationally; care of terminally ill people; and philosophies of death. Interviewed by John Terreo, January 23, 1990, Helena, MT.

Grady Walton discusses his tenure as administrator of Deaconess Home in Helena, Montana from 1959 to 1962 including staff, children, and facility; the mission of the Home; physical and emotional needs of the children; finances and fund raising; relocation of facility; and initiation of the cottage system. Interviewed by John Terreo, November 30, 1989, Helena, MT.

Keith McCarty discusses his academic background and his work as project director for the Medical Assistance Demonstration Project in Montana; system for providing limited in-patient service in rural areas as an alternative to hospitals. Interviewed by John Terreo, January 29, 1990, Helena, MT.

Marge Vanderhoof (b. 1946) describes her education and training as a nursing student in Great Falls and at Montana State University circa 1980 to 1986; her employment as an registered nurse at St. Peter's Hospital in Helena; activities as treasurer of the Montana Nurses Association; and assistance to nurses recovering from drug and alcohol addictions. Interviewed by John Terreo, January 29, 1990, Helena, MT.

Harry Etter (b. 1951) discusses his youth as the son of a U.S. Navy physician in Bethesda, Maryland and other areas of the United States; his medical education at the University of Maryland; his internship in San Diego, California; his service as a physician in the U.S. Navy; his service in the submarine squadrons; coming to Montana; his medical practice in Helena, Montana; affects of a busy practice on his family life; general medical practice; medical ethics; affects of technology on health care and the practice of medicine; liability insurance; personal views on life and aging; Medicare and Medicaid; federal and state legislation affecting physicians; and recruitment of physicians to rural areas. Interviewed by John Terreo, February 6, 1990, Helena, MT.

Wilma Nicholson tells about her early life in Seattle, Washington; training, education, and service as a nurse at Providence Hospital in Seattle; her work as a nurse in the coronary care unit at St. James Hospital, Butte, Montana in the early 1960s; experiences as a teacher of students in a vocational program for licensed practical nurses in Butte; other nursing experiences: and work as a Nurse Practitioner at the SOS clinic in Seeley Lake, Montana. Interviewed by John Terreo, February 8, 1990, Seeley Lake, MT.

Virginia Kenyon (b. 1915) discusses her training and education in nursing at Deaconess Hospital, Great Falls beginning in 1932; recollections of Anna Pearl Sherrick; her work as public health nurse in Dawson and Fergus counties Montana from the mid-1930s to 1942; experiences as a U.S. Army nurse with the 81st General Hospital during World War II; her later nursing experiences; and rural nursing. Interviewed by John Terreo, March 23, 1990, Helena, MT.

Mona Vanek, a resident of Noxon, Montana discusses health care and living conditions throughout her life; societal attitudes regarding health care; various home remedies such as poultices and mustard plasters; affects of distance on medical care; area hospitals, clinics, and physicians; lice epidemics; childbirth and midwives; prescription and over-the-counter drugs; raising a family; various family illnesses, injuries, and health problems; dentists; the first practicing Physician's Assistant in Western Sanders County; role of Louie and Madge Post in developing local volunteer community ambulance service; increasing costs of medical insurance and health care; medical liability issues; her activities and involvement with the local ambulance service; and Montana's Good Samaritan Law. Interviewed by John Terreo, April 2, 1990, Noxon, MT.

Maria Solce Myers (b. 1952), a resident of Heron discusses her work from 1980 to 1990 as an Emergency Medical Technician for the Western Sanders County Ambulance Service; the area in which the Service operates; Montana's Good Samaritan Law; liability insurance; and other issues related to emergency health care. Interviewed by John Terreo, April 2, 1990, Heron, MT.

Joyce Coupal (b. 1929) discusses growing up as the daughter of missionaries in India; work as a registered nurse in the maternity ward and clinic of Murray Hospital in Butte; emergency medical treatment of Butte miners; experiences as a Noxon volunteer of the Western Sanders County Ambulance Service; views on quality of medical care in Sanders County. Interviewed by John Terreo, April 3, 1990, Noxon, MT.

Alice Dettwiler (b. 1927) discusses her early life and health care in Kalispell, Montana; her education, training and nursing work in Minnesota; her return to Montana in 1954; work as an office nurse in the Noxon, Montana clinic from 1962 to 1980; emergency medical transportation in Western Sanders County; work as a school nurse for Noxon High School; and nursing in rural areas. Interviewed by John Terreo, April 5, 1990, Noxon, MT.

Noxon, Montana residents Darrell Hall and Sonya Hall discuss their involvement with the Western Sanders County Ambulance Service including the organization of the Service; their emergency medical technician training; some of their experiences as members of the ambulance crew; and various aspects of healthcare in western Sanders County. Interviewed by John Terreo, April 5, 1990, Noxon, MT.

Anita Jopling (b. 1913) discusses her experiences as a nursing student at St. Mary's Hospital in Walla Walla, Washington during the early 1930s; work as a nurse at the Veterans Hospital in Walla Walla with veterans of World War I; relocation to Trout Creek, Montana in 1948; her work as Public Health Nurse for Sanders County from 1963 to 1973 the general health care situation in Sanders County; and nursing and health care in very rural areas. Interviewed by John Terreo, April 5, 1990, Trout Creek, MT.

Elinor Compton (b. 1927) discusses home health care during her childhood in Heron, Montana, and Sandpoint, Idaho; nurses' training and education in the U.S. Cadet Nurses Corps during World War II; initial nursing experiences; work as a nurse during the construction of Noxon Dam; experiences as an office nurse; employment at Bonner Hospital in Sandpoint, Idaho; and rural health care and nursing in Sanders County, Montana. Interviewed by John Terreo, April 5, 1990, Heron, MT.

Thomas Lawrence (b. 1946) discusses health care during his childhood in Kalispell, Montana; medical training and education at the University of South Dakota and University of Colorado; 1972 summer internship in Lewistown, Montana; his general medical practice in Sandpoint, Idaho; life as a physician in a rural area; difficulties in recruiting physicians and other health care professionals to rural communities; his role as supervisor of the ambulance service in Western Sanders County, Montana; legal issues concerning state jurisdictions on emergency medical transportation; and views on medical liability insurance. Interviewed by John Terreo, April 5, 1990, Heron, MT.

Erabert (b. 1937) and Eldora Stobie (b. 1937) discuss their role in the organization of the Western Sanders County Ambulance Service; training; daily routines; liability insurance; and accidents. Interviewed by John Terreo, April 6, 1990, Noxon, MT.

Heron, Montana resident, John Harker (1918-1999), discusses health care in western Sanders County including the services provided by Dr. Osland and Dr. Jones during the 1920s and 1930s; his military service during World War II; logging; and his Christmas tree business. [See also OH 659] Interviewed by John Terreo, April 7, 1990, Heron, MT.

Shirley McLinden, a resident of Trout Creek, Montana, describes her experiences as a member of the Western Sanders County Ambulance Service; her Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training: ambulance vehicles; the affects of weather and distance; the increase of senior citizens into the county; the history of ambulance service; and liability issues. Interviewed by John Terreo, May 31, 1990, Trout Creek, MT.

Paul Seifert (1918-2001) discusses his early life in Missoula and Deer Lodge; medical education; hospital residency in Spokane, Washington; U.S. Army service caring for German Prisoners of War (POWs); medical practice in Libby from 1947 to 1987; the affects of government regulations and programs; rural health care; physician recruitment to rural areas; the use of aircraft in medical emergencies; liability insurance; the Libby Hospital. Interviewed by John Terreo, June 3, 1990, Bull Creek, MT.

Deana Elder (b. 1953) discusses trout farm operations in Noxon, Montana; involvement with the Western Sanders County Ambulance Service; her training to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT); experiences as a training instructor for the ambulance service; and various medical and legal issues associated in operating a volunteer rural ambulance service; and comparisons between the Western Sanders County Ambulance Service and Libby Ambulance Service. Interviewed by John Terreo, June 4, 1990, Libby, MT.

Larry Elder (b. 1953) discusses trout farm operations in Noxon, Montana; reasons for becoming involved with the Western Sanders County Ambulance Service; training to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT); various issues regarding rural emergency medical transportation; affects of weather; and healthcare in very rural areas. Interviewed by John Terreo, June 4, 1990, Libby, MT.

Jesse Brown (b. 1951) discusses his experiences in the navy during the Vietnam conflict as a corpsman with S.E.A.L. (Sea, Air, Land); his teaching and education in the Johns Hopkins physician associates program; his experiences in establishing one of Montana's first satellite clinics at Noxon, Montana; emergency medical transportation in Western Sanders County Montana; involvement with the Western Sanders County Ambulance Service; difficulties in recruiting other health care professionals to rural areas of Montana and elsewhere; and issues concerning medical liability. Interviewed by John Terreo, June 6, 1990, Libby, MT.

Judith C. Machler (1917-1993) discusses growing up on a homestead north of Lewistown, Montana; home medical remedies; nurses' education and training at St. Joseph's Hospital in Lewistown; the Great Depression; working as a nurse at Deaconess Hospital in Great Falls and the Valley Vista Nursing Home in Lewistown; liability insurance for nurses; changes in nursing over the years; and related issues. Interviewed by John Terreo, June 16, 1990, Billings, MT.

Lewistown, Montana resident Roberta Pullen (b. 1921) describes the osteopathic practice of her father, Dr. Fred Taylor; her mother's child-rearing techniques; quarantine of contagious diseases; the pest house; nurses training at John Hopkins University; her work at Murray Clinic in Butte from 1914 until 1970s. Interviewed by John Terreo, June 19, 1990, Lewistown, MT.

Donald Browne (b. 1921), a Lewistown, Montana resident was a member of the advisory boards of St. Joseph's Hospital and the Central Montana Medical Center. He discusses the reasons behind the closing of St. Joseph's and the formation of the Central Montana Medical Facilities; nursing education programs; the construction of the original building and retrofitting it for modern use; the Daughters of Jesus; medical care; and finances. Interviewed by John Terreo, June 20, 1990, Lewistown, MT.

Frances "Scottie" Byerly (b. 1921) discusses life as the daughter of an army physician in the Philippines, Panama, Hawaii; experiences at the University of North Carolina; marrying Ken Byerly and moving to Lewistown; the Lewistown hospital board; state and federal regulations and the old hospital; county acquiring old hospital, and building a new one; recruiting health care professionals; move to a new hospital during a winter blizzard; and emergency medical transportation. Ken Byerly discusses the history of Lewistown including establishment of St. Joseph's Hospital by Catholic nuns; 1918 flu epidemic; the Depression; working as owner/editor of local newspaper; and fund raising for construction of Central Montana Hospital and other public projects. Interviewed by John Terreo, June 20, 1990, Lewistown, MT.

Eleanor Helmer (b. 1929) discusses health care during her childhood in Fergus County, Montana; her nurses' training with the Cadet Nurse Corps in Seattle, Washington; work as a nurse in San Diego, California during the late 1940s; relocation to Lewistown, Montana in 1952; experiences as an obstetrics and surgical nurse, and later Director of Nursing at St. Joseph Hospital in Lewistown; changes in nurse education, individual attitudes and salaries since 1948; management of hospital nurses and other personnel; liability insurance; and other matters. Interviewed by John Terreo, June 22, 1990, Lewistown, MT.

Earl Eck (b. 1908) discusses his pharmaceutical training at Montana State University, Missoula; his early jobs as a pharmacist; pharmaceutical practices; drugs and narcotics; preparation and uses; his relationship with local physicians. Interviewed by John Terreo, June 23, 1990, Lewistown, MT.

Corrine Deriana (b. 1924) discusses her early life on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, North Dakota; traditional Native American medicine and health care; family life on the reservation; recollections of the 1930s depression and World War II; attending Indian Boarding School in Chemwa, Oregon; employment as a nursing assistant in Portland, Oregon; work as a tray girl and nursing assistant at Montana State Hospitals in Galen and Warm Springs; experiences with patients suffering from tuberculosis, silicosis and other illnesses; experiences with and treatment of mental patients; Native American views on death and dying; employment at St. James Hospital, Butte; becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse; lobbying activities for LPNs in Montana; staff working conditions in nursing homes; credentials and education of nurses; differences between registered nurses and LPNs; later education; the Green Thumb Program; part-time work with the Helena Indian Alliance; and changes observed in nursing and health care during her life. Interviewed by John Terreo, August 6, 1990, Helena, MT.

Glen Halver, Glendive, Montana veterinarian (b.1915) discusses Montana veterinary practices; early interest in veterinary medicine; schooling; member of Livestock Sanitary Board; how-to's of setting up a veterinary practice. Interviewed by John Terreo, October 1, 1990, E. Helena, MT.

Naomi Summers (b. 1945) discusses her childhood in Kalispell; home remedies and community health care; Licensed Practical Nurse training and education in Butte under the Manpower Development Training Act; work at the Warm Springs Psychiatric Hospital; the first Cardiac Care Unit at St. Patrick's Hospital, Missoula; employment at Kalispell Regional Hospital; flying with patients on helicopters, and working in the Intensive Care Unit; government regulations on nursing; serving on the State Board of Nursing; difference between Registered Nurses and LPNs; liability insurance; medical costs; health care workers morale; impaired nurses legislation; volunteer emergency medical technicians and transportation; Montana Licensed Practical Nurses Association; and credentialing for LPNs. Interviewed by John Terreo, September 26, 1990, Whitefish, MT.

Raymond Read discusses his early life in North Dakota; veterinary training at Iowa State University; his veterinary practice at Ronan, Montana from 1941 to 1986; the National Bison Range; recollections as personal veterinarian to the albino buffalo "Big Medicine"; brucellosis vaccinations; and serving on State Board of Veterinarians. Angeline Read discusses her experiences as office manager and bookkeeper for her husband's veterinary practice; treating area animals; and the affects of government regulations and new technologies on veterinary medicine. Interviewed by John Terreo, September 27, 1990, Ronan, MT.

Vernie Burns (b. 1912) discusses her early life in Tweet, and Polson, Montana; nurse's training and education at Deaconess Hospital in Great Falls during the early 1930s and her recollections of Anna Pearl Sherrick; use of penicillin; affects World War II; pilots ferrying military aircraft to Alaska for eventual use by the Soviet Union; raising a family; working conditions of nurses; surgical and pediatrics nursing; work as public health nurse in Lincoln and Augusta during the 1970s; Hutterites and health care; the clinic in Lincoln and its part-time physicians; history of the clinic emergency medical transportation in the area; Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC). Interviewed by John Terreo, September 19, 1990, Lincoln, MT.

Jim Oliverson (b. 1938) discusses how he entered the health care profession; his work with the Red Cross in Minneapolis, Minnesota; reasons for relocation to Montana; experiences as Hospital Administrator for St. Luke Community Hospital in Ronan, Montana; difficulties small rural hospitals have in conforming to government regulations; liability insurance; the Hill-Burton program. Interviewed by John Terreo, September 27, 1990, Kalispell, MT.

Trudy Malone discusses her early life in North Dakota; nurses' training and education at the Mayo Clinic; work as a nurse; raising a family; experiences as U.S. Army nurse in Europe during World War II; work as Director of the State Board of Nursing; training and education of Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs); liability insurance; changes in nursing education and the attitudes of contemporary nurses; and her two terms as president of the Montana Nurses Association. Interviewed by John Terreo, September 21, 1990, Bigfork, MT.

Steven Zwisler (b. 1948) discusses his childhood in Evanston, Illinois; education at St. John's University and University of Utah; choosing a career in health care and relocating to Montana; employment at Holy Cross Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah as kitchen worker and nurse aide; work as a nurse aide at Clark Fork Valley Hospital, Plains, Montana; service with U.S. Army; views on Vietnam conflict; nurse education at Montana State University; early nursing and obstetric experiences; views on birth and midwifery; liability issues; work as a staff nurse and discharge planner at North Valley Hospital, Whitefish; and emergency medical transportation in the Flathead Valley. Interviewed by John Terreo, October 24, 1990, Whitefish, MT.

John Terreo (b. 1954) describes the purchase of the Covenant United Methodist Church, Helena, Montana parsonage by the St. Peter's Hospital Hospice Program; his involvement and observations of that transaction as secretary of the church's administrative board. Interviewed by Janet Sperry, January 24, 1990, Helena, MT.

James McGreevy (b. 1916) discusses his early life and education in Iowa City, Iowa; military service with the United States Army in Africa and Europe during World War II; relocation to Montana; experiences with the Murray Clinic in Butte, Montana. Interviewed by John Terreo, January 10, 1991, Butte, MT.

Bruce McIntrye discusses his family; early life in St. John, Washington; his father's medical practice; his own medical education and internship; medical practice in Whitefish, Montana; experiences as public health officer for Whitefish and Flathead County; the 1964 flood; operation of satellite office in Eureka, Montana; family planning; illegal abortions; and legislation affecting public health. Interviewed by John Terreo, February 27, 1991, Lakeside, MT.

Mary Munger (b. c. 1943) discusses her parents' immigration from Canada to Butte; life in Butte; home medical remedies; scarlet fever; nurses training at St. James Hospital, Butte; working in the emergency room treating injured miners; psychiatric nurses' training at Warm Springs; the Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II; the Bolton Bill; the State Health Department in Helena; preventative medicine; physician attitudes toward nurses; Montana Nurses Association; credentialing Registered Nurses (RNs) and licensing Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs); working as Lake County Public Health Nurse; attitudes toward Health Professionals; Ethel Mitchell, Agnes Pauline, Muriel Lewis; the Perand Bill and National Health Insurance; and salaries, labor problems and negotiations. Interviewed by John Terreo, September 23, 1991, Helena, MT.

Donald Gillespie (b. 1907) discusses his family and early life in Minnesota; becoming a physician; first pediatrician to practice in Butte; the Murray Clinic, Silverbow County Hospital and Anaconda Mining Company; house calls; infectious diseases; traveling clinics; medical care in Butte during World War II; and liability insurance and health care costs. Interviewed by James McGreevy, M.D., May 5, 1990, Butte, MT.

Dolly Browder discusses family attitudes on health care; health care as a child; distance to nearest medical facility; early obstetrics; influences on becoming a midwife and associated legalities. Interviewed by John Terreo, September 28, 1990, Missoula, MT.

Stella "Sunny" Peters, a Lame Deer, Montana resident discusses her experiences as a nursing student in Miles City during the 1930s and later as a Registered Nurse on the Cheyenne Reservation. [See also OH 495]. Interviewed by John Terreo, August 6, 1992, Lame Deer, MT.

Jim Oliverson (b. 1938) continued to discuss his career in the health care profession; his experiences at St. Luke Community Hospital in Ronan, as hospital administrator; and the Hill-Burton program. [This is a follow-up interview to OH 1343]. Interviewed by John Terreo, September 27, 1990, Kalispell, MT.

Mary Munger discusses technological changes in nursing, the American Medical Association, and various nursing organizations; labor contract negotiations and collective bargaining; the Northern Pacific Beneficial Association; her work as Executive Secretary of Montana Nurses Association; professional nursing standards; legislation; Medicaid and Medicare; the Montana Hospital Association; Charles Huppe, Allen Donahue, Lee Metcalf, Dorothy Bradley, and John Anderson; the American Nurses Association; illegal abortions; and her work as a nursing instructor at Carroll College and as state chair of International Women's Year committee. Interviewed by John Terreo, May 13, 1992, Helena, Mont.