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20 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 31, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com OTMH faces future with a strong past By Melanie Cummings SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER It has been 43 years since `Toots' Simpson (a.k.a Anne Lawrason) worked at O a k v i l l e - Tr a f a l g a r Memorial Hospital (OTMH). But over the past 11 years, she has returned on the first Sunday after Thanksgiving to see her fellow former workmates. "There were so few of us on staff in those days we "(Joy Parsons) made time for everyone on staff, from payroll, to housekeeping to surgeons." Barb Savage, former OTMH employee, alumni committee chair VEN 90 DOR S Spirit of the Holidays A TRADITION IN OAKVILLE THE IROQUOIS RIDGE HOLIDAY CRAFT SHOW SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3 10 am-4 pm IROQUOIS RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL 1123 Glenashton Drive, Oakville Wander through our 90 Vendor offering you the best in fashion, home decor, furniture & gourmet foods. TEA ROOM Musical Interludes ­ Free Admission Info. Line 905-845-0012 BOO GIANT MOST BOOKS Publishers' Original Prices quickly became friends," said Simpson. Hired in 1950 when OTMH was in its infancy, there were only 50 beds and seven physicians on staff. (As supervisor of obstetrics, her nickname `Toots' comes from her habit of calling all the newborns in her care by the same affectionate moniker.) Simpson was among 103 alumni who gathered over lunch in the hospital's dining room recently to rehash the old days and catch up on each other's latest news. It's been the tradition among former OTMH staff to reunite annually. The OTMH Alumni Association was the brainchild of Lillian Parsons. Originally a nurse, she was among the new staff when the hospital opened in 1949. In time she made her way up through the ranks to become its CEO until her retirement in 1987. It is to Parson that alumni credit LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER REFLECTIONS: Miss Joy Parsons is pictured in front of the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) cafeteria named in her honour. Parsons was a guest speaker at the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital Alumni Association's first decade celebration. The association's members include former OTMH doctors, nurses, food service, technicians, maintenance, secretaries, and more. the family atmosphere of the hospital. "She made time for everyone on staff, from payroll, to housekeeping to surgeons," said Barb Savage, a staff educator who retired in 1986 and is now the chairperson of the eightmember alumni committee. Dr. Bob McCarney was a surgeon at OTMH from 1957 to 1987. He returns annually "to see my friends. We all knew each other's names while I worked here. Everyone was important to each other. There was a wonderful spirit of caring," added McCarney. For this reason, former nurse Joyce Forde has come back to OTMH, volunteering four to five days a week. She retired in 1973, but the 71-year-old returned five years ago to help in any way that she could. According to current CEO John Oliver, any time there is a new staff orientation, he boasts about the alumni association, which is thought to be the only one of its kind in Canada. "Your tradition continues. In many ways not much has changed since you all worked here ­ at the core is peoplehelping-people healthcare," said Oliver. OTMH has changed in size though. It now has 300 beds, 2,000 staff including 200 physicians and 250,000 patient encounters annually. Mary Davies, chair of the Halton Healthcare Services Board, reminded the alumni of a quote by novelist Pearl S. Buck, that: `one faces the future with one's past.' "You have each helped build a strong foundation for the future of this hospital," said Davies. 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