When the new St. Dominic Hospital opened on Lakeland Drive, it was a dream come true for the Dominican Sisters and the community which had rallied behind them. Recently, I related the story of some of the Jackson businessmen and Catholic clergy who advocated on behalf of the new hospital. Today, I want to tell about the ever-expanding circle of friends.
The Sisters acquired twenty acres on Lakeland Drive in 1951, at what was then the far west end of Jackson. The land was well drained, but rough and uneven. Llewellyn Brown, a VP at First National Bank, convinced local grading contractors and other businesses to donate time and machinery to prepare the site. Among the benefactors were Pat Maloney and Pete Maloney. This act of service was not the last performed by the brothers.
Construction began in 1952. St. Dominic Hospital applied for Hill-Burton funds—federal grants for construction of new community hospitals—in hopes of raising about one-third of the estimated three million dollars needed. Court rulings on the eligibility of faith-based hospitals, however, went back and forth. The Sisters and their advisors decided to pursue a new building without the public dollars.
They scaled back plans, for example, leaving the sixth floor unfinished and making the fifth into the convent instead of erecting a separate building. Even with the generous support of local citizens, by the spring of 1954, the Sisters still needed an additional $100,000 to finish the building. They had hoped the sale of the old hospital would raise the necessary funds, but there were no takers.
The Maloney brothers came to the rescue. Pat and Pete mortgaged their heavy equipment and used the money to buy the first St. Dominic Hospital, trusting to Divine Providence, and the local real estate market, that all would work out in the end. Not only did the Maloneys recoup the $100,000, when they sold the property, it netted an additional $25,000. Did they pocket the profit? No! They donated it to St. Dominic’s for construction of a future convent.
So, with a “little” help from our friends, St. Dominic’s moved to Lakeland Drive. The building was dedicated May 26. In the decades following, benefactors continue to provide critical financial support. Some of those donors are the second and third generation of their families to associate with St. Dominic’s. To the circle of friends, living and deceased, we say “Thank you!”
