By Steve B.

During my stay, both drugs and EST were used. I was not treated with EST, only drugs, among which I am sure there were anti-depressants and tranquilizers. There were perhaps six or seven teens in my ward and one or two of them were administered EST. Memory tells me that most EST-treated patients were in the older population. On my ward, meds were kept in a locked chest located on the wall near the aides’ station. These were carefully measured and administered by the aides themselves. Mine were in powder format, mixed with orange juice for tolerable palatability.

Dr. Roy Moss, in “talk therapy” individual sessions, addressed my problems, but I was never given a diagnosis or nomenclature for those problems. Perhaps my parents were given a technical-medical name for what was ailing me, but they never mentioned it and I never inquired.

Hindsight tells me there were probably well over a hundred patients during the period of my stay, but these were scattered among different wards/dorms, and I never witnessed a mass-gathering of patients, so this is only my best guess.

There were many native Alaskans at Morningside during my stay. Again, since I have no real grasp on the total population, I can’t accurately say how many their numbers were. But I would run across them “all the time”, especially in larger gatherings such as daily cafeteria meals, so I would guess that they were still constituting a substantial portion of the general population. Most of these were older males (didn’t notice many, if any, females), and other than the normal courtesies, unfortunately, I didn’t converse with them – so I can’t relate anything regarding the frequency and/or process of returning them to Alaska. One exception was the only teen Alaskan I knew, who was an affable sort except when his anger management issues would trigger outbursts. However, I didn’t learn anything from him pertaining to native American life in Alaska. On my ward there was also a Native American named Reggie Hunt, but if I’m not mistaken, he was from Central (Warm Springs Reservation?) or Eastern Oregon, not Alaska. My first experience of Alaskan culture came in the hospital’s main office, where my parents brought me to be admitted. The walls were hung with all kinds of native crafts, a lot of masks and suchlike.

The aides were exceptional – reasonable, responsible, and approachable, some with wild senses of humor, which of course, immensely helped patients during their (in many cases) involuntary “incarceration”. The aides never abused anyone and were extremely helpful in all ways. Discipline was maintained, but I believe always in tandem with communication with the doctors – i.e., no unilateral, “fascistic” decisions were made by the aides. One punitive measure I recall was being “put on restriction”, which meant isolation from the rest of the community in the ward. Such patients would be permitted to attend the school, but were not allowed to return to the ward except at night for head-count and sleep. I recall one incident in which I was the only “innocent party” – and all the rest of the teens were put on restriction. It was a strange but exciting feeling for me to have my freedom, limited though it was, while all my peers were on off-ward restriction.

Again, I observed no abuse from “the powers that be”. However, kids being kids/people being people, there were strong rumors circulating on our ward of some teen sexual activity, but only between patients, never between staff and patients.

The quality of life at Morningside was as good as could be imagined, “considering the circumstances”. Movies were arranged, trips to local swimming pools, bowling alleys, etc. There was a rec room which included a piano; there was a “snack and fun” center with vending machines, a little shop, a small lounge, and other amenities. The school was well maintained and the teachers were quite sharp. I’m sure there was homework, but I don’t recall doing any on the ward.

Apparently Morningside would on occasion coordinate with outside physicians and/or medical training programs. One day I was asked to be interviewed by a visiting psychiatrist, to which I readily agreed. He asked the usual questions. I presume whatever data he obtained went into some institution’s records, but I can’t recall what clinic or hospital this particular doctor represented.

In addition to individual psychotherapy, there was group therapy for us (we?) teens. In his interview, Dr. Moss mentioned that this was fun but the whole teen group workshop/program eventually withered because aide staffing was insufficient to manage “difficult” teens. In addition to Dr. Moss, sometimes at group therapy, there was a woman therapist, a “Dr. Kelley” who would sit at the table with us and, like Dr. Moss, ask questions/lead discussions/prompt thinking.

I recognized a couple of other doctors around the place – by face, but I don’t think I knew their names. I think I do recall occasionally seeing Dr. Hutchens when he would be walking on the grounds.

The cafeteria was pretty amazing in terms of variety and abundance of food. Also in its attention to the exacting filling of special diet orders from the doctors. My tendency to weight-gain finally resulted in Dr. Moss directing diet orders to the kitchen. The outcome of this was taking all my meals in a special annex to the cafeteria, which was called “the Diet Kitchen”. This was efficient but unpleasant, first because the food was “dietary” and because it separated me from my peers who would of course be eating in the regular cafeteria.

Also there was a craft shop with saws, lathes, etc. Doctors would frequently assign patients a carpentry project, and that’s how I’m familiar with the shop. I remember a milk vending machine there that dispensed the most refreshing, ice-cold milk in small cartons.

The hospital also had a newsletter that probably came out once a month or maybe every two weeks. It kept us up on new and leaving patients, current patients (hobbies, aspirations), etc., had a cartoon, jokes, etc. I don’t recall the name of the newsletter.

The ward and its separate shower room and lavatory were kept spotlessly clean. I believe that the aides were hands-on responsible for these tasks.

Well, that’s about all I can remember – I hope it’s of interest and of use to you. Please feel free to ask any more questions.

Eddie R., patient #1524, admitted 9/26/33 to Morningside from Ruby, Alaska, also known as “Eddie the Pig” was the reason for my visit to Denali Center today.  The name “Eddie the Pig” was related to us when someone from Ruby recognized his name at the AFN conference and said they remembered calling him that as a child.  When asked why the elder said it was because his mother used to always watch the pigs and then she had a baby that looked like a pig!  The same person said that Eddie’s brother was living in the Denali Center (a nursing home in Fairbanks).

Don Thibideau, a saint, is the social worker there and he helped me.  He talked to L.R. and arranged a visit for me today.  L.R. is 89 years old.  He has been in Denali Center for 37 years!  His speech is difficult to understand but he is very alert when he listens and talks.

When I asked him about his brother “Eddie” he told me that Eddie went to the hospital in Portland before he did!  So you were in the hospital there? Yes. Don said he thinks that this is true.  L.R. had polio and says he was raised by the doctors and nurses.  He carries an “MR” diagnosis and was at Morningside, Harborview (a now closed facility for people with developmental disabilities) in Valdez and in Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API).

When asked who took his brother Eddie he said “the cops came and took him”. He said that Eddie stayed home with his mom and she didn’t want him to go. He said that “Eddie was ahead of me at the hospital” and “he died there”. He said “I was a paperboy at the hospital” and “there were lots of fights there”.  He told us that in fact there were horses and pigs in Ruby when he was a child.  When I asked L.R. how he went to Portland to the hospital, by airplane or boat, he said “by airplane, boat takes too long”.  Then he asked me what happened to the steamship “Nenana”? I told him that it was now in a park and kids could visit on it.

L.R.  said that Donald Stickman took him to Galena when he went to Portland to the hospital.  He said “how come you asked me those questions” and I told him that I had read about Eddie and was interested to know if he knew about him.  He said yes, he was one of his brothers and named the others.  He said that when he was at Valdez he got mad and threw a broom.  Then he asked me if I had brothers and I told him about my brothers.

Don was wonderful and helped me understand L.R. when he talked.  I told L.R. I was going to Portland and asked him if he would like a picture of Eddie’s grave if I could find it.  He held out his hand and said “give me the picture”.  I told him I would come back and visit and he said “when”?

Eddie R. we thought perhaps had Downes Syndrome because of the cruel nickname.  The December 1941 Quarterly Report from Morningside provided the following information on Eddie:  ”Age 10, Mongolian idiot.  Shows rather typical mental make-up and physical signs of above form of idiocy.  Is vivacious and active but very difficult to care for.  Has developed active pulmonary tuberculosis.”   He died on November 8, 1941 at age 20 and is buried at Greenwood Hills Cemetery.

Don said that there was another patient at Denali Center that had been at Morningside hospital and he died a couple of years ago.  Don said that he has a stack of his drawings.  He was from Shismeriff.  Don said he recalled some of the drawings were of animals, some of revival meetings when missionary types went there and he remembered them, and some of the drawings were of a hospital he had been in.  Don said he would find them and show them to me.

L.R. and Eddie’s sister is still alive.  I will find her and chat with her to see what she remembers and if she ever went to visit.

What a day.

“The Mental Health Trust History Project Jukebox offers insight into the long struggle to provide quality mental health services in Alaska from the perspective of people who participated. There is discussion about how the mentally ill were treated prior to Statehood when they were sent to Morningside Hospital in Portland, Oregon; how in 1956 Alaska was given one million acres to manage in trust to fund mental health services; a 1982 lawsuit against the State for mismanagement of these lands and funds; the lengthy legal, political, and legislative effort to settle this lawsuit by re-constituting the lands, providing a cash settlement, and creating the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority.

This project was started in 2007 by the Oral History Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks with funding from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority.”