Ada Doernbecher Morse papers

Collection

Identifier: 2013-029

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection houses a variety of material formats and evidences a number of subjects. Photographs include portraits of Ada’s family, including her father, brother, and husband, as well as herself; and the first Christmas celebration at Doernbecher, complete with Santa and reindeer. Ada’s guestbook lists visits by her almost exclusively female friends and associates from across the country between 1907 and 1927.

The centerpiece of this collection is the scrapbook of news clippings. Its cover is labeled “University of Oregon Medical School-Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children-Doernbecher Memorial Hospital for Children [-] From 1921.” This scrapbook chronicles the growth of the medical school in general, and specifically the search for funding and the actual construction of the Medical Science Building (1918-1919), Mackenzie Hall (1921-1922), a children’s clinic at the Free Dispensary downtown (1921), Multnomah County Hospital (1923), Shriner’s Hospital & Veterans’ Hospital (1925), and Doernbecher Children’s Hospital (1925-1926). Surprisingly, there is only one clipping on the actual opening of the Children’s hospital in July 1926. Sources include local papers such as the Oregonian, the Oregon Journal (the paper founded by C. S. Jackson, the donor of the land the hospital was built on), and the Portland Spectator magazine. The upkeep of the scrapbook faltered as time went on. Pagination ends and over a hundred blank pages follow, only to begin again haphazardly with clippings going back to the 1920s.

Publications in the collection include Old Oregon magazine editions titled “Annual Medical Number,” editions of a University of Oregon publication focusing on the medical school; photocopied clippings; "A History of Doernbecher Memorial Hospital for Children;” a Program of the 24th Annual Meeting of the North Pacific Surgical Association; and a copy of Spectator magazine that includes an article on the Medical School. Additionally, a time-line of Doernbecher’s history, assembled for the 60th Anniversary, is included in the collection.

Researchers interested in the history of the Children’s Hospital and the greater medical school, as well as those interested in the history of the Doernbecher family, will find helpful material in this collection.

Dates

Creation: 1905-1986
Creation: Majority of material found within 1905 - 1939

Creator

Morse, Ada Doernbecher (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on access. This collection is open to the public.

Conditions Governing Use

OHSU Historical Collections & Archives (HC&A) is the owner of the original materials and digitized images in our collections, however, the collection may contain materials for which copyright is not held. Patrons are responsible for determining the appropriate use or reuse of materials. Consult with HC&A to determine if we can provide permission for use.

Historical note

The origin of the bequest which ultimately resulted in the Doernbecher Memorial Hospital for Children was lumber baron Frank Silas Doernbecher (1861-1921), of Grand Rapids, Wisconsin. Trained as a cabinet-maker, he moved west to Washington state in the 1880s and built furniture factories in Tacoma and Chehalis, becoming a millionaire in a decade. Soon he was likened to Henry Ford for his factory innovations and vertical monopolization of the business from growing trees to finished product.

In 1900, Portland city fathers begged him to transfer his operation into Portland and a large factory was set up in Sullivan’s Gulch on the East side of town. By the time of his death, it was one of the largest in the country. When Doernbecher died in 1921, he left an estate worth a million dollars, a large portion of which he specifically allotted for the construction of a children’s hospital.

Executors of the bequest were his children by his second marriage, Ada (1881-1936) and Edward Morris (1882-1937) Doernbecher. Neither of them continued in their father’s company as that had been reorganized by his partners, prior his death. Ada married a local physician, Edwin W. Morse (1875-1934), while brother Edward moved to Washington, where he varied work in the lumber industry with running radio broadcasting companies. Ada was primarily involved in bringing the project to fruition by her involvement with the wives of other local power brokers. Working together, they created the Doernbecher Hospital Guild in 1924 to organize a combination of private bequests and public fundraising drives. They also lobbied for extra funds from local and state institutions. It took all of the above to bring the campaign to a successful conclusion.

Extent

0.42 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Lumber baron Frank Silas Doernbecher left a sizeable allotment from his estate for what ultimately became the Doernbecher Memorial Hospital for Children. The Ada Doernbecher Morse papers showcase the manner in which charitable private donations and organized fund-raising played a part in making such a need a physical reality. This collection houses a variety of materials, including family portraits, a scrapbook of news clippings, publications, and a time-line of the hospital’s history, assembled for the 60th Anniversary.