By Katherine J. (Gernand) Nicolay
I have never read anything about tuberculosis (TB) or tubercular patients in Prescott, even though I grew up here. I feel drawn to tell you how remarkable and brave these people were. My father, Perry Gernand, developed full-blown TB as a result of having flu and pneumonia in France during World War I. In 1922 I was a year old, when my father had a bad hemorrhage while threshing grain at harvest time on our Illinois farm. In less than two years, he was advised to go to Prescott, Arizona to Whipple Barracks for care. My mother and I followed in a few months. He received excellent care at Whipple, and this is where my story of influence begins.
Tuberculars had sick bodies but not sick minds, so friendships started among a very large number of doctors, lawyers, bankers, merchants, businessmen, and farmers at Whipple. My dad's best friend, Bill Aven, was a Macedonian and was at Whipple with TB. He had apprenticed in contracting and building houses, so he agreed to have workers build our first and only home on Glendale Avenue in 1926, where I presently reside. He used our home after we moved in for a model home on Sunday, as it was the first house he built. I have the newspaper clipping inviting anyone to come.
Subsequently my father, Bill Aven and Kenneth Aiken, all on the Board of Supervisors, formed a corporation to develop the area called Ridgewood Heights - bound on the east by Park Avenue, on the west by Vista Drive, on the south by Bertrand and on the north by Crest Avenue. Bill Aven came to our house one day and asked me to choose a piece of paper from numerous papers in his hat. I pulled out the paper "Ridgewood Heights" and to this day, this area is still referred to as Ridgewood Heights. I was probably eight or so and how important I felt!! My dad was a silent partner and Perry Street off Country Club was named for him. Today, practically all of the seven houses in this area were built in the late 1920s and 1930s are still occupied, in good condition, and the area remains a desirable location to live. Bill Aven went on to build many more houses in west Prescott and elsewhere. One of the master carpenters of Bill's crew, Mr. Carl Ernst, who built our home, had come here with a tubercular wife, continuing his trade building many houses.
Four tubercular men at Whipple: Mr. Peterson, Mr. Brook, Mr. Steiner and Mr. Wist became close friends and decided that when they were well enough they would open an outstanding office supply store on the north side of the Plaza called PBSW Office Supply. They were highly successful, and the store remained there for many years.
Dr. James Allen, our doctor, brought his tubercular wife and family here in 1920. He practiced at Whipple until 1926 when he started a private practice for the rest of his life.
Norman Rhodes Garrett was a banker in New York. He developed TB and came to Prescott with his family. He so enjoyed photography and eventually illustrated, with his excellent photos, a collector's book, "Peace Unto You," in conjunction with Rev. Charles Franklin Parker of the Congregational Church, who wrote poems and articles about Arizona. Mrs. Garrett was very active working at the Sharlot Hall Museum.
Herb Rollins brought his tubercular wife and family from Buffalo, New York, and built a motel called Tri-R-Camp across from the Armory on Gurley Street. This way he could make a living, take care of his wife, and support his family.
Frank Steed was tubercular and came with his wife and daughter, Betty, to Prescott. He eventually was very active in the Methodist Church and was on the Prescott school board for several years.
Charles Elrod had TB and brought his wife, Leone, to Prescott from Oklahoma. They were our neighbors. He eventually was able to work, owning and operating Charles C. Elrod Heating Co. He also was very active in the Smoki People, acting as chief, dancer, etc.
Ben Matthews contracted TB in World War I and came to Prescott's Whipple Barracks for treatment. He eventually became a patient of Dr. Flinn, with the usual bed rest for 1 year, walking a little the second year using shot bags on his lungs to stop the movement of the lungs so they could heal. His wife was a nurse and his children were all born here. He invested in rentals for additional income and lived to be 90 years old.
In 1925, the entire Ogg family of four came to Prescott from Oklahoma because Mr. Ogg had contracted TB. Two years later, he started working as a pharmacist for Sam Ensminger, then moved on to Elmer Lawrence at the Eagle Drug Store. His next employer was Charles Reibling of the Studebaker dealership, and eventually he became vice president of Webb Motors. Because of a heart attack, he moved to a lower altitude and opened Ogg's Hogan in Wickenburg. Jack Ogg, his son, became a federal Judge.
Dr. Clarence Yount came to Phoenix for a cure of his TB and eventually moved to Prescott in 1902, regaining his health in 1905. He married a doctor's daughter and had a family. His only son, Clarence Jr. became a very fine physician and was married to Pat. He did much research on penicillin. He was honored and participated in the dedication of the new radio station, KYCA, in 1940.
Mr. Alpheus Favour, an attorney from New York, brought his tubercular wife and his family of three to Prescott. He was a very close friend of Sharlot Hall, helping her greatly with legal matters and enabling her to contact people of influence in her various projects that helped Arizona become the great state that it is today. His two sons became attorneys as well.
Probably the outstanding contribution in Prescott was Dr. Flinn, who had TB in his native Nova Scotia and came, with his family, to Kingman, Arizona in 1898. They moved to Prescott in 1902. In 1903 he opened Pamsetgaaf sanitarium on West Gurley and Willow Strand, and it eventually became known all over the U.S. as one of the best sanitariums. The name stood for: Pure Air, Maximum Sunshine, Equitable Temperature, Good Accommodations And Food. The first letter of each word spells PAMSETGAAF. Movie stars, former miners, Walter Winchell and Margaret C.Sullivan were among his patients. Complete bed rest was his strong medicine as "rest for the lungs" was the only cure. Later he was on the Board of Regents of the University of Arizona. Congressman Lewis Douglas said Dr. Flinn's sanitarium constituted the mile high city's greatest asset. My mother, Frances Gernand, was his private secretary for a period of time, and my father became one of his patients. Two of Dr. Flinn's sons, Robert and Zebud, also became doctors.
Sam Ensminger, a registered pharmacist, came to Prescott from Indiana to arrest his TB. In due time he was employed at Whipple and eventually opened his own Ensminger's Drug Store on North Cortez, gaining a fine reputation. He married Dr. Flinn's daughter and had a great family.
St. Luke's Hospital in Phoenix brought their TB patients to Prescott and housed them in open porches in the Donnybrook Estates area between Bertrand and Copper Basin Roads, west of Park Avenue. These buildings were built between 1934 and 1964. Dr. A.D. Wilson was the consulting physician. Cottage Heights, in the Inglewood area west of Prescott, housed TB patients beginning in 1921 at very reasonable rates. When I was a senior at Prescott High School and 17 years old, my father's TB became arrested and he lived to be 76 years old.
My parents had wonderful experiences with their Airstream Trailer caravans' abroad as well as in Canada and Mexico. They enjoyed showing their excellent colored slides to many classes of school children.
I remember all of these people I've mentioned, as nearly all my friends had either a tubercular mother or father. Many became 'cured' and lived wonderful lives for many years. Many never became well. I want to also salute the wives of these sick men, as their burdens were heavy and hard to bear. These wives I knew and loved never complained.
You can see now, just how much these tuberculars from every walk of life contributed positively to culturally change this little mining town of Prescott. Prescott is different from any other town in Arizona and it's a delight to live here!!!
Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(PB86f12i50) Reuse only by permission.
Dr. Flynn's PAMSETGAAF (Pure Air, Maximum Sunshine, Equitable Temperature, Good Accommodations And Food) sanitarium was the premier location for tuberculosis patients in Prescott.