Chapter X Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: September 29, 1966 to June 30, 1967)
Nate Institute of Pathology & Research, Harrisburg Hospital
As much as I would like to completely erase from my memory the time period between October -3, 1966 and April 08, 1967, I am unable to do so. However, because I am not proud of this phase of my career, I suspect I cannot retrieve details of my career failure due to a mental blackout. To repeat what I stated when I left RGH, all that glitters is not necessarily gold.
I arrived at the hospital with great expectations for my new position. My official title was Biochemist. It was stipulated that 40% of my time should be devoted to the operation of the clinical chemistry laboratory, 30% should be devoted to teaching and 30% to research. I never had a chance to fulfill the demands of the position. In a intra-hospital memorandum of October 18, 1966, I was informed that the Board of Managers approved a secion of Renology in the Department of Medicine. I was also appointed as an Associate Renologist.
Harrisburg Hospital, a 700-bed hospital, was affiliated with the Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I would be teaching medical students, interns, and resident physicians. I was also expected to keep the medical staff up-to-date on our activities in the laboratory. Actually, I had no problem in fulfilling the above expectations.
It was with the laboratory operations that I got into trouble. On reviewing the backgrounds of the personnel in the chemistry laboratory, I found that most of the technicians were high school graduates who had some training in medical technology schools. However, they did not have the credebtials to be certified as Medical Technologists by the American Medical Technologists (AMT). AMT is a nonprofit certification agency and professional membership association which has been providing allied health professionals with professional certification services and membership programs to enhance their professional and personal growth. The chief technician and one other technician were registered Medical Technologists. A young lady and a young men and in one of the laboratories were doing complex hormone analyses. What qualified the young lady to work at a hormone laboratory was that she was the ambulance driver’s wife. As there was no quality control system in the laboratory, I had no idea of the quality of the results that were being reported to the physicians. The chemistry laboratory had been under the direction of one of the pathologists. I just made an assumption that test results were reasonably accurate. Dr. Brason insisted that I should purchase a Hycel instrument which performed various tests simultaneouslyand automatically. I had no faith in this instrument and that was borne out by the fact that eventually the instrument was taken off the market. I had been in touch with Ralph Thiers, at the Duke University Medical Center. Ralph was secretive about a hookup of a number of Technicon AutoAnalyzers and to my surprise, he invited Dr. Brason and myself to visit his laboratory. This we did and we were taken into a room in which a large number of AutoAnalyzers had been connected so that it acted as a multi-channel analyzer, probably, a forerunner of current instrumentation. Dr. Brason was now sold on the idea of duplicating the instrumentation we observed. This led to orders and my attendance in February and April at classes at Technicon in Tarrytown, NY.
Back in the laboratory is where I ran into problems. Not only did I try to install a quality control system, but I tried to make changes by moving some people to perform tests other than than those which they had been doing. Apparently some of the chemistry laboratory staff got together and complained about changes I was trying to make. I did not get backing from the pathologists and Dr. Brason suggestive that I should consider leaving. Several days after this message, I was told that I was not welcome in the department and it would be better for me to vacate the premises. I was told that I would be renumerated with the salary I would have earned if I had stayed a year from the date I reported to work. This was April, 1967, and I would be payed to October.
To be blunt, I was fired. Looking back, I am still a little at loss of what transpired. I suspect that there were some inside department politics that I did not know about. I also suspect that the aim of this laboratory was to make a profit, thus, it was better to staff the laboratory with as few medical technologists, or chemists as possible. This laboratory was not ready for a highly qualified clinical chemist. My description of my career at the Harrisburg Hospital is brief because it is something that I would have preferred not have happened. Of course, I could omit this interval of time, but a historian would ask why in my classic standards paper there is a footnote with my address as the Harrisburg Hospital.
My mental blackout about the details of my short career at the Harrisburg Hospital also extends to our every day life in the area. Galla, Jared, and Rachel also find it difficult to remember details about the time we spent in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Entries in our old check registers and expense book records, some puzzling, offered a way to attempt a reconstruction of events that may have occurred from September 30, 1966 to June30, 1967. Lost address books prevent me from identifying the friends that we made in Harrisburg.
After my commitment to accept the position at the Harrisburg Hospital, we moved to the
Scottsdale Apartments, 1021 South Progress Avenue, Harrisburg, on Friday, September 30, 1966. My image of the Scottsdale Apartments in 1966 is that of a two-story structure built around the sides of a rectangle. The long sides of this rectangular building were parallel to South Progress Avenue. The entry to the rectangular courtyard was at the center of the building side closest to the avenue. Within the courtyard there were parking spaces for cars and a swimming pool. Entries to the second floor apartments were from an outdoor corridor which was attained by an outdoor stairway. Our combined family memories indicte that we had rented a three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. According to Rachel, the entry from the outdoor corridor was directly into a living room. The master bedroom with its own bathroom was on the left. Two bedrooms, with windows from which South Progress Avenue could be viewed , and a full bathroom between them, were in back of the apartment. A small kitchen was located off one corner of the living room. The monthly rent of $185 for this apartment was payable to the Briarcliff Realty. A laundromat on the apartment premisses had coin operated washing machines and dryers. We also arranged with Lenkerbrook Farms for the daily delivery milk to our door.
We opened a checking account with the Harrisburg National Bank and Trust companyWe also opened savings accounts for ourselves, Jared ($372.76) and Rachel ($401.51) at the Harris Building & Loan Association. According to old financial records, On October 31, 1066, we had a total of $16,595.71 and some stock shares of AT&T, Johns Manville, and Crescent.
It was not very long before we began to have social relationships with some Harrisburg residents. One week after we moved, on Sunday, October 09, 1966, we wrote a check for $37.50, which was for an annual membership in the Harrisburg Jewish Community Center (JCC). We actually went to a dance program on that Sunday. I continued my membership in the organization B’nai B’rith and I got to know people by going to the local meetings. We also took a bridge course in November of 1966. So it was through the JCC and other organization meetings that we formed friendships. Unfortunately, because of the passage of time and lost records, we cannot remember names. One couple that we do remember is Joe and Gloria Cohen. Joe was an attorney who had cerebral palsy. Perhaps we remember him because we were impressed that he became an attorney in spite of his handicap. Then there was Harold Brown who was a member of the AACC and a clinical chemist at another Harrisburg hospital. We got to know Harold , his wife Lois, and their family. We also befriended a physician and his wife who were to become our neighbors in the house that we never built. The physician was the head of the Pennsylvania State Department of Health.
Jared completed his second year at the Harrisburg High School and Rachel was in the eighth grade. Transportation to their respective schools was by yellow school buses. While in Harrisburg Rachel retained her membership as a Girl Scout of America and joined a local troop. In February, 1967 I purchased an electric typewriter for the children from the Harrisburg Hospital for $107.55. Photography was an interest of both Jared and Rachel. They asked us if they could draw money from their savings accounts to buy an enlarger. They developed film in the bathroom and enlarged some of their photos. On December 6, 1966 Jared joined the Harrisburg Camera Club for $9.00. Apparently, Jared became a photographer for the school newspaper. On March 9, 1967, Jared was a photographer on a trip with the school basketball team and on March 30, 1967, he went on a trip to Washington DC with this class. Jared also took automobile driving training at his school, failed his first State driving test but passed a second time in got a drivers license. We did not allow Jared to drive our car unless one of us was in the passenger seat beside him.
On October 9, 1966, I sent a 20.50 check to the University of California at Berkeley for football tickets to the California-Penn State football game on Saturday, October 29, 1966. I also sent a check for nine dollars to Penn State University. On Friday, October 28, we drove to Penn State University and stayed their hotel facility overnight. Just before the football game on Saturday, there was a meeting of a small group of University of California alumni. It was at that meeting that we first met Natalie Cohen. Natalie Cohen was a member of the University of California at Berkeley Alumni Association and lived in Atlanta, Georgia. She apparently attended all of California football games. I purchased a football program ($0.50) and a pennant ($1.00) for the game. Our small group did not make much of an impact when Natalie Cohen was our head cheerleader. We were rather sad when California lost badly. We drove home that night.
It was our plan to eventually buy a house once we got settled and got to know the city. When Galla and I were invited to have dinner at Dr. and Mrs. Brason’s home, we were impressed by the contemporary architecture. Dr. Brason told us about the architect who designed his home. On Saturday, February 4, 1967 we had our first session with Frederick A Haile, the architect that Dr. Brason told us about. The type of house we wanted,, the within-our-means cost of building the house , the architects fees, and contractors who would build the house were all discussed. The next day, Sunday, with the architect, we visited Lot #175 on Smokehouse Lane. On this lot we could have a house with a walkout basement. On Saturday February 11, 1967, we signed a contract with Mr. Haile. Before signing the contract we had it reviewed by a lawyer, Mr. Samuel handler who was a member of the Harrisburg Hospital Board of Direvtors. Our old check registers show that on March 2, 1967, we paid D.P. Raffensperger $40 to survey Lot 175. Mr. Haile produced a set of plans in which the living room and dining room would be separated by a fireplace where the top of the stone structure and lie between the floor and ceiling and with a bare metal chimney. Other details of the plans left no doubt of the contemporary nature of this has to be. We ran into a problem because on Monday, March 27, our plans were not accepted by Mitchell Estates, the owners of Lot #175. However, becuase of my situation at the hospital, on Monday, April 10, we terminated our contracts with the architect. Our total cost for the services of Mr. Haile was $875 and we also paid the Handler & Handler Law Firm $75. Out of all this we were left with a set of plans for a home with contemporary architecture. We kept those plans for many years until mildew made it necessary to get rid of them..
Considering the cost of annual dues and subscriptions at present (2009) it seems improbable that in 1966 the annual dues for the American Chemical Society was 50.00 and the AACC was $20.00. As for subscriptions, the cost for the Saturday Review was $20/00 for four years, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was $18 for three years , and the New Yorker for $13.50 .
It was Joe Cohen, or another new acquaintance, who asked me I Would be interested in joining a small discussion group of men who met for dinner periodically. It was of interest to me and I joined this group which met in a restaurant across the Susquehanna River at Camp Hill. The modus operandi of this group was that each individual would take his turn to come to this dinner meeting with a topic for discussion. The interesting part of this procedure was that it was only on that night of the dinner that we learned what the discussion topic would be. There was always spirited discussion among the members of this group possibly to the spirits imbibed. When it was my turn to moderate a session at the dinner, I brought up the topic of nuclear war. All in all, I really enjoyed the company of the men in the group and of course, the discussions.
I was able to join Harold Brown when he drove to Philadelphia to attend AACC Philadelphia Section meetings. Along the way we usually picked up Bob Elser, who was a clinical chemist at the York Hospital. Although I do not remember the date, I drove on a Friday to Washington DC to attend a AACC Capital Section meeting on Saturday. I took Jared with me so he could do some sightseeing on Saturday.. On Friday evening we had dinner with Martin Rubin and a surprise guest. I believe the guest was Poul Astrup, a Danish clinical chemist who was involved with the development of direct blood pH measurement instrumentation. Marin Rubin was not only the charter member of the AACC Capital Section but also renowned in the international clinical chemistry scene. Before adjoining for the evening, I arranged for communication with Jared if he had ny problem to call Martin Rubin’s home on Saturday. On Before Jared went off on his sightseeing day on Saturday morning, we agreed to meet at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum at 5 o’clock. Somehow, I assumed that we would meet at the Constitution Avenue entry. After dropping off Jared, I left to attend the Capital Section meeting. It was at this meeting that I first met Donald Young. Don was from England, had medical degree and a Ph.D. He was at this time employed at the NIH. Although I do not remember the events of the day, I do not think that I will ever forget my meeting Jared. When I arrived at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Jared was not there. I called Martin Rubin and there was no message from Jared. I had visions that something happened to Jared. The museum was about to close for that day. I spoke to a guard and he suggested that I should look for my son at the Madison Drive entry. Jared was not at the entry. I called Martin Rubin again and this time I was told that Jared was at the Madison drive entry. It turned out that when I came to that entry Jared was in a telephone booth calling Martin Rubin. I breezed a sigh of relief, drove to pick-up Jared and then back to Harrisburg.
According to our financial records, an October 09, 1966 check for $5.00 was a payable deposit at the Atlanta, Georgia, Sheraton-Emory Inn. Furthermore a November 11, 1966 check of $19.33 was made out for the Allegheny Airlines. Considering that on Wednesday, November 16, 1966 I paid $2.50 for an Atlanta limousine, and on Thursday, November 17. 1966 I had a Atlanta, Sheraton-Emory Inn charge of $6.33, this was the time I flew to Atlanta to participate as a member of a Communicable Disease Center (CDC) Ad Hoc Committee. A cab charge of $3.50 and a limousine charge of$1.75 indicates that I flew back to Harrisburg on Thursday night.
My paper What Is A Standard? was due to be published in the January, 1967 issue of the AACC journal Clinical Chemistry. A $84.70 check of December 1, 1966 was an advance payment for reprints of my article. After the publication of my article the demand for reprints nationally and internationally depleted my supply rapidly. It was George Bowers who arranged for another batch of reprints.
I spent Tuesday and Wednesday, March 28 and 29, 1967 away fro from the hospital as I was an invited program participant at the Binghamton General Hospital, NY. Although I do not remember the program topic, I suspect that it had to do with the contents of my standards paper.
One of our first acts was to break cancel a further relationship with the architect. And then we went through the process of canceling our offer for Lot 75. This was easy as the problem of a contemporary home on that lot now was gone.
Being that I had to find a new position, I first called George Bowers to ask if I could use him as a reference for a new possession. I believe that I also got in touch with some other people. Several hours after I called George Bowers, I received a telephone call from Joe Boutwell, who was now Deputy Chief of the Medical Laboratory Section, Laboratory Improvement Program , Bureau of Laboratories, National Communicable Disease Center [CDC, now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but still CDC]. Gerald R. Cooper, M.D., Ph.D., was the Chief of the Medical Laboratory Section . I became acquainted with Gerald Cooper at past annual AACC meetings. I was asked if I would be interested in a position at CDC. It was not long before I received an invitation to come to Atlanta to visit CDC as a consultant. As a consultant, my expenses would be paid.
However, since I had no definite job offer, after consultation with Galla, it was decided that it would be worthwhile to attend the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) in Chicago. I would be able to take advantage of the employment center to register as a job hunter. I called a FASEB representative to arrange for a hotel room. Because rooms in most of the central Chicago hotels were unavailable, I was assigned a hotel in North Chicago. I was told that the FASEB had a guaranteed rate of $14.00 a night at my assigned hotel. When I registered at the hotel on Sunday, April16, 1967, I was told that the room would cost #16.00 per night. After a forceful objection, I was assigned a room for $8.00 per night. The small room had a bed and a chest with five drawers. In the bathroom the shower stall mats for four nights were local newspapers, and sitting on the toiled, my legs were under a sink. Being that I would only be in the room to sleep, it was all right with me as long as the bed was reasonably comfortable. The memorable part of this meeting was that I was able to have a conversation with Joe Boutwell about my upcoming visit to CDC. I also learned thast Alan Mather was now at CDC in the Medical Laboratory Section. The cost of a TWA round-trip flight to Chicago was $78.12, for registration $20.00, and for the placement bureau $3.00. My total expense for this meeting was $165.51.
On Saturday, April 22, 1967, I sent a $1.00 check to the ACS Chemical &Engineering News along with an ad to be inserted in the situations wanted section.
On Sunday, April 23, 1967, Galla and I flew to Atlanta. Having a window seat on the airliner, as we approached the airport, I wondered where the city was as all I saw were tree tops. I had flown into Atlanta previously as a member of an ad hoc committee, but that was at night. After spending the next day as part of the CDC ad hoc committee at CDC, I flew out of Atlanta at night. Over the years since 1967, metropolitan Atlanta has grown and one no longer has the impression of a city with many trees when approaching the airport.
We rented a car and found our way to the Emory Inn, which was across the street from the main buildings off CDC. On our arrival at the inn, there was a note from Alan Mather, who was now on the staff at CDC. The note was an invitation from Alan and Rose Mather to come to their home for a reception in our honor. We spent a pleasant few hours with the Mathers and some of the clinical chemists on the staff at CDC. Before retiring for the night at the inn, I was called by Gerald Cooper. Gerald told me that he was conducting a workshop class of medical technologists and he asked me to talk about standards the next day. Of course, this I did.
At CDC, I had a tour of the Center. Also, Joe Boutwell escorted me on a tour of the city of Atlanta. I was finally ushered into the office of U. Pentti Kokko, M.D., the head of the Bureau of Laboratories. After some conversation with Dr. Kokko, I was offered position with the starting level of GS-14, Level 4. In discussions with Gerald Cooper, Joe Boutwell, and George Bowdoin, Administrator in the Medical Laboratory Section, I was asked if I would like to head a unit for the standardization of cholesterol or an evaluation unit which would conduct proficient testing of clinical chemistry laboratories. I thought that the latter option would be very challenging so I selected heading an evaluation unit. My starting date would be July 2, 1967, being that paperwork for a civil service job and an official offer would take several months.
On Tuesday, May 09, 1967 I drove to Trenton, New Jersey where I spent part of the day at the State Health Department. There was an opening for a clinical chemist and conversations with several officials made me think that perhaps this is a position I do not want. That is, if a position was offered.
I was called by Joe Boutwell who asked me to represent CDC at a Connecticut State Health Department meeting in Hartford. I was to participate in a discussion about the standardization of test results from SMA-12s. A SMA-12 was an instrument automatically performed 12 clinical chemistry tests simultaneously, all from multiple small volumes of various serum specimens. I flew to Hartford Monday, June 05, 1967 and participated in the discussions on Tuesday. I was late for my Tuesday late afternoon American Airline flight to New York City where I would pick up an Allegheny flight to Harrisburg. An American Airlines flight got me into La Guardia Airport too late to catch my Allegheny flight. I spent the night at a motel near the airport, courtesy of American Airlines.
On Saturday, June 10, 1967, we headed for Montreal to spend several days at the 1967 International and Universal Exposition, or Expo 67 as it was commonly known. We had previously made reservations for a room that turned out to be in a multi-storied building. Rather than driving our car to the fairgrounds we were able to use the Montreal Metro subway. The theme of the fair was Man and his World, which consisted of Seventeen theme elements. The elements were as follows: Du Pont Auditorium of Canada (The philosophy and scientific content of theme exhibits were presented and emphasized in this 372 seat hall);Habitat 67; Labyrinth; Man and his Health; Man in the Community; Man the Explorer; Man, his Planet and Space; Man and Life; Man and the Oceans; Man and the Polar Regions; Man the Creator; The Gallery of Fine Arts; Contemporary Sculpture; Industrial Design; Photography; Man the Producer; Resources for Man; Man in Control; Progress; and Man the Provider. We spent two days at the fair and we had to leave as we had more pressing business in Atlanta. On the way to Atlanta, we made a stop in New York City where we visited with family. And finally, we headed south.
We were reasonably certain that a definite job offer was coming from CDC. This certainty had been enhanced by constant communication with Joe Boutwell. The Sheraton-Emory Inn was on Clifton Road, N.E., across the street from CDC. Being familiar with the inn, we had reserved a room for us while we looked for housing. When I had the job offer in April, conversations at the Medical Laboratory Section about housing indicated that the better area schools were in DeKalb County, which was east iof Atlanta. G alla and I were in favor of renting an apartment for a while until we became acquainted with the city and area around it. Jared and rachel pleaded for us to purchase a house. I do not know how it came about, but we ended up at the Milton Kuniansky Realty Company on Briarcliff Road close to the corner with Lavista Road. Later we were to find that Briarcliff and Lavista Roads crossed again further to the east. A real estate agent, Roland Sternthall, spent a good part of a day with us. He drove to various sites for us to view houses in DeKalb County. The first house we visited was on Sheffield Drive, a street that came off and fairly close to the Briarcliff and Lavista Roads intersection. It was of contemporary design. We then looked at other houses on sale all were of a traditional design that seemed to be characteristic of the area and close to the price we could afford. Along the way between sites, the hat we purchased at Yellowstone Park and cherished by Rachel blew off her head and disappeared out of the open car window. Rachel was a bit unhappy that the hat was lost. We decided that we wanted to look at the house on Sheffield Drive again. This house had similarities to the house we were planning in Harrisburg. So without much ado, on Monday, June 19, 1867, we plunked down a check for $500 , which was to indicate that we were interested in buying the house on Sheffield Drive. I do not remember the asking price but we settled for $25,500.00. The closing date was set for Friday, June 30, 1967. Again, I do not know how we were able to find a lawyer to represent us at the closing, but we did and it was Sidney Parks. Perhaps we had a recommendation from someone at the Jewish Community Center on Peachtree Road, which we visited during this stay in Atlanta. We made arrangements with the Georgia Power Company to supply us with electricity and the Southern Bell tel & Tel Company for a telephone.. There was no need to go to a gas company as the house was all electrically powered. for turning on electrical power and we also arranged for the installation of a telephone. On Thursday, June 23, 1967 we opened a checking account at the The Citizens & Southern Emory Bank (C&S) with a deposit of $17,000.00. Then on the same day we issued a C&S check of $2,895.17 for a new account at the Decatur Federal Savings and Loan Association. At Davison’s Department Store in Atlanta, which was part of the Macy’s organization, our Macy’s credit card would have been accesptable. However, we went to the large Atlanta department store, Rich’s, where we were issued a credit card immediately being that I would be employed at CDC. We purchased a refrigerator, a washing machine and dryer, to be delivered after we moved into our new home. On June 23, 1967, we issued a C&S check to the Sheraton-Emory Inn for $86.89. Then we left for Harrisburg.
Once we were back in Harrisburg we arranged with the North American Van lines to move us to Atlanta. We only had several days to get ready for this event. On Monday, June 26, Galla and I breathed a sigh of relief when we received a letter from Albert R. Martin, Personnel Management Specialist, National Communicable Disease, Atlanta, Georgia. This letter dated June 23, 1967, , confirmed the oral job offer by Dr. Kokko. The text of this letter is as follows:
We are pleased to offer you the position of Supervisory Research Chemist, GS-1320-14, Srep 4, at $16,675 per annum to become effective July 2, 1967. This position will serve as Chief, Evaluation Unit, Medical laboratory Section, Laboratory Improvement Program.
Please report to Room 114, Building B, for entrance on dutyand processing on Monday, July 3, 1967.
We look forward to having you join the Center’s staff.
Sincerely yours,
As quickly as I could do so, I confirmed the receipt of the above letter and my acceptance of the position that was offered. More than ever, we now packed what we could with the knowledge it was not for naught. The last checks from the Harrisburg National Bank & Trust Company account were as follows:
June 27, 1967 North American Van Lines (Certified Check) $600
July 26, 1967 Decatur Federal Savings & Loan Association $562.19 (Closed Account).
After the moving company finished emptying our Scottsdale Apartment ee headed for Atlanta to arrive in time for the closing process on June 30, 1967.
At the closing we issued the following checks from our C&S account:
June 30, 1967 Decatur Federal S&L $15.00
June 30, 1967 Thibadeau, Shaw and Company, Inc. $112.00
June 30, 1967 Milton Kuniansky (Realty Company) $918.00
June 30, 1967 Sidney Parks, Attorney $272.50
We were able to assume the previous owner’s Decatur Federal S&L 25-year 6.00% mortgage. Our check of $3,451.31 was for Don Smith, the previous owner of the house on Sheffield Drive, and essentially was our down paymment for the house. The reason for the payments to two real estate companies was that Don Smith changed agents during the time his house was on sale. We also paid the representative from Decatur Federal S&L a small fee and our first monthly mortgage payment.
We left the closing process with the keys to the house with the address 1458 Sheffield Drive. Sleeping bags were among the gear packed into our station wagon. So we headed for a grocery for some provisions and then to our house. We were about to begin a new phase of my career and our lives in the Atlanta metropolitan area.