As my 87 year old mother lies in a nursing home, fading away from the ravages of her latest stroke, I opened a box of her old papers and found a faded envelope addressed to her. The postmark reads September 15th, 1951, and inside I found a carefully folded piece of brown paper that looked like the back of a grocery bag, or one of those old bookcovers kids used to use. It is a large piece of paper, at least twice the size of an 8 x 11, and it has rough edges where it was cut with scissors. The childlike print is widely spaced and large, but time has faded it so much that I had to get a flashlight to read it. The words brought tears to my eyes. Step back in time with me 56 years. Step back in time and see what could be your future.
The letter was written by my mother's father, William Hood Vernon. My grandfather died before I was born in 1954, so I know little about him. I will let you read his words yourself.
Dear Mr. Hull,
I am a native New Yorker living here all 59 years of my life. I have never rec'd charity until I was forced to enter Bellevue blind without teeth and a serious skin disorder. They have no means of supplying teeth in this hospital & it will cost $40 to have a set made up by an outside dentist.
Should you be able to represent me on Strike It Rich and should I win it would help me a great deal in my effort to keep smiling.
Respectfully yours,
William Hood Vernon
Underneath was the address:
Mr. Warren Hull
Strike It Rich
Station WCBS
NY 22, NY
There was a subscript that read "Sweetheart, make any changes you see fit. Had blood transfusion Thursday A.M.
Thanx.
My grandfather, blind and in one of the most notorious hellhole hospitals in New York City, was trying to win money on a game show to get teeth. The sweetheart he was referring to was his daughter, and he had sent this draft to her to edit and then send on to the show. A man who worked as long as he was physically able, and raised four wonderful daughters who went on to raise doctors, lawyers and the likes of me. I know he was mostly self employed during his life, and he had a chauffer's license. He obviously didn't have health insurance.
Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Strike It Rich
The New York City Commissioner of Welfare called Strike It Rich "A disgusting spectacle and a national disgrace". The Supervisor of the Travelers Aid Society said that "Putting human misery on display can hardly be called right.". The General Director of the Family Service Association of America said flatly "Victims of poverty, illness, and everyday misfortune should be made a public spectacle or seemingly to be put in the position of begging for charity." The New York legislature looked into the controversy but later washed itself of it claiming it lacked jurisdiction. TV Guide would call it "A despicable travesty on the very nature of charity." CBS and NBC, the networks that ran the show remained unconcerned over the controversy, saying "We don't want to do anything that would antagonize the sponsor".
This is a true story of the state of health care only 56 years ago. If our government does not solve today's health care crisis, we can always resurrect Strike It Rich. A lucky person could even win teeth.