Saturday, March 07, 2009

Santa Ana Community Hospital

OCThen reader Susan Creger submits the following memory of growing up in Santa Ana during the 1950's and 1960s'...

Wow, I am so excited to run across this place. I miss CA so much, and to read about other people's experience growing up there is exciting. I was born in Santa Ana Community Hospital in 1952. I lived on Newhope St and went to Newhope Elementary until the 4th or 5th grade when Heritage Elementary opened it's doors for the first time. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the Junior High I went to in Santa Ana but it was on the corner of Newhope and ? We moved after 1 semester & I went to Smedley Junior High after that. We moved back in my 9th year & I went to La Quinta High School. I miss the CA of my childhood with Orange Groves everywhere. I remember Farrell's Ice Cream parlors. I went there EVERY day when I was pregnant with my first daughter for a Fudge Sundae Royale.
The name of that junior high school on Newhope and ? was probably Fitz Intermediate. And as for Santa Ana Community Hospital, my wife was born there in 1966. I also remember in the mid-1980s, when I worked at Santa Ana Public Library, several of us employees traveled there (after it was converted to a convalescent home) one Christmas Eve and sang carols to the residents there.

13 comments:

  1. Hi Sue, I was born there too, a few years before you (sounds like a poem). Here's a link to a photo of the hospital courtesy of santaanahistory.com: http://www.santaanahistory.com/postcards/14031095.jpg

    The white '59 Chevy station wagon in the picture belonged to my mother-in-law. She was an R.N. at Community and that was her coveted parking spot.

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  2. I too grew up in Santa Ana. I was born at St. Josephs Hospital in Orange in 1961. 4th generation. I went to Fairhaven elementary and then on to Portola Junior high. I remember going to the Farrells in Tustin. Also remember the Bob's Big boy, Gemco, Zody's,the old shopping center on Main street with Bullocks, Shakeys and the Santa Ana library book mobile which used to come to Portola park in the summer. Those were great times to be a kid.

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  3. all of my four children were born in santa ana
    community - tonja, scott, timothy and angela teter. this was back in the 50ths. they are all married now and i love california. two have moved away and two still live in california. yeahhhhhhh.

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  4. Kris (Sanders) YahnMarch 09, 2010 7:05 PM

    Santa Ana Community Hospital became Santa Ana- Tustin Community Hospital (SATCH) became Western Medical Center. It backs to the 55 freeway.

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  5. I was also born at Santa Ana Community Hospital in 1960. My older sister was born in 1959. I have been trying to locate our medical records. Is there any R.N.'s from that era that could possible direct me to where birth records/files and/or babys and mothers record/file would be stored at ? I would greatly appreciate it.

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  6. My dad had his coronary bypass at Santa Ana Community Hospital in 1971

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  7. i went to O.A.PETERS JR. HIGH NEWHOPE BETWEEN G.G BLVD AND TRASK

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  8. I was born at Santa Ana Community Hospital in 1968. I remember when we had to go there with my younger siblings in the early 70's and I can still remember all the remaining orange groves still around the hospital. I too miss my childhood in Santa Ana, I remember the big football games at Eddy West field. I miss the culture of that time period in Santa Ana, a culture like that of the midwest. I remember being three or four years old and talking to old men who served in WWI, WWII, and Korea, I even think there some pretty old guys who served in the Spanish American war.

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  9. I was born in Santa Ana Community hospital in Sept 1967. I wish there were more information about the hospital. It would be intresting to read about it. Thanks for sharing this information. Dawn

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  10. Yeah... Everyone seems to pointing out how great it was to be a kid growing up in Santa Ana! Nothing could be further from the truth for me.. I went to Newhope Elementary and lived in an apartment in the area. When I was eleven I was abducted by a pediophile who was the apartment manager. I was subsequently drugged and raped by him and some additional men. I was almost killed. I ended up in a hospital. It may have been Santa Ana Community Hospital (who knows). I just remember a compassionate doctor named Dr. Henry. (Does anyone know of such doctor working at a Santa Ana hospital in 1974?). Anyways, the memories of the rapes just emerged after 35 years of repression. I'm just glad that my family later moved the hell out of Santa Ana to Irvine else I might have eventually been killed. Yeah, I have fond memories of Santa Ana including the memory of my brother getting beat up on his way to school almost daily by little elementary school wannabe gang bangers.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Jen, I was so saddened for you and yes I know a bit of what you describe. I was born and raised in that awful town 1963 - 1981 when I escaped by joining the Navy. I took my son who is now almost 17 a few years ago to the nightmarish apartment (supposedly condo) complex at the corner of Mc Fadden ave. and Harbor blvd. where I had the misfortune of spending my teen years with a lovely view of the garbage collection. My son took one look at it and said, "we gotta get out of here, it's dangerous!" He then realized why I always raised him in safe, small communities and why I always took him to and from school myself. In the 70's, Harbor blvd. was full of streetwalkers and perverts roamed the sidewalks. If ever there was a Sodam and Gamorrah, that was the place. It was literally hell on earth and I will be damaged forever having had survived being forced to live there after being abandoned by my father who I will never forgive and he now resides in hell along with the thugs that inhabited that town and raped the innocent children like you and I. God bless you Jen, you are in my thoughts and prayers and I understand your pain.

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  11. I'm looking for a baby girl born here in 1964 given up for adoption in a Catholic adoption. Mother was Darlene. Please Reply.

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  12. Yes, concerning Santa Ana Community Hospital..
    A lot of us service guys lived off base and we were wild and a little crazy, more in
    innocent ways. Just lonely and at that point lost.. So i hear the pain of others whom
    grew up in SA cuz there was a lot of corruption. My heart hurts for any of you whom were so used by the crazies. Although i grew up in beautiful north east small towns
    and it was better than SA where you were somewhat.. I was picked up by some perv and nearly
    S------- yet was somehow spared.. I say to everyone, We live in a fallen Dark world
    where good and innocent people are all too often hurt even as the bad are increasingly
    hurt. The Grace of God reached into my life 3 years out of the service in Garden Grove as I saw an old movie: " A Thief in the Night ".. Bless you ! ! !
    Does anyone know if Santa Ana Community Hospital still exists ?? Would love to know more if you know. There at that hopital, someone was born whom i have always wanted to meet.. Seek the Lord Christ ! We live in a marvelous age of Grace
    where we HAVE the free will to choose to worship and serve Him..

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