Whenever I hear songs from the 60's I can
put myself right at a certain spot at TCSH
where I first heard the song. Kinda like
recall in full color. I have a big problem
remembering names thou. Smells really haunt
me thou, I seem to remember a time rather
than a place. It is really hard to pin point
smells but when one hits me I always know it
is a TCSH smell.
Yesterday I re-read all that has been posted and I totally agree that this is one heck of a story even in its back and forth time line. I wish I could recall more about Hall-20 I do not know why but almost all my memories of Hall-20 are gone, this was a very happy time of my childhood. Maybe it was the freedom or the non competition with others. If I would have been there at TCSH forever I would have liked it to have been on Hall-20.
Yesterday I re-read all that has been posted and I totally agree that this is one heck of a story even in its back and forth time line. I wish I could recall more about Hall-20 I do not know why but almost all my memories of Hall-20 are gone, this was a very happy time of my childhood. Maybe it was the freedom or the non competition with others. If I would have been there at TCSH forever I would have liked it to have been on Hall-20.
All through the years, since I was released
from TCSH,every time I hear the humming
sound of a small propeller plane in the
clouds, TCSH is automatically pictured in my
head. Usually I see myself looking out the
caged balcony on Hall#18.
No matter where I am or what I'm doing. It even happens today.
I'm not to far from Ft Sill in OK., but the sound of Jets and large passenger planes don't do that, only small propeller planes.
I talked to Hiedi Johnson about that. She said that pilots used to fly low over tcsh so people could get an aereol view of the place.
Some barns remind me of tcsh. But only certain size and designed barn. That might be because every time I ran away, I I always hid in the Barns(#209) out back.
And like Ron, certain songs from the 60's place me back to TCSH. Certain songs put me in certain places. There are some that put me in one of the seclusion rooms.
No matter where I am or what I'm doing. It even happens today.
I'm not to far from Ft Sill in OK., but the sound of Jets and large passenger planes don't do that, only small propeller planes.
I talked to Hiedi Johnson about that. She said that pilots used to fly low over tcsh so people could get an aereol view of the place.
Some barns remind me of tcsh. But only certain size and designed barn. That might be because every time I ran away, I I always hid in the Barns(#209) out back.
And like Ron, certain songs from the 60's place me back to TCSH. Certain songs put me in certain places. There are some that put me in one of the seclusion rooms.
Ron.
I still have all my conversations with Hiedi Johnson. You welcome to check them out and use what you want in your book. Some of her messages are very interesting.
Just let me know and I'll e-mail them to you.
I still have all my conversations with Hiedi Johnson. You welcome to check them out and use what you want in your book. Some of her messages are very interesting.
Just let me know and I'll e-mail them to you.
This is my first conversation with Hiedi
Johnson...
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On Apr 29, 2008, at 11:11 PM, Mike Farnam wrote:
Dear Heidi,
The time factors here may be a little scrabbled up, like when and why I was released. There’s a story behind that.
In was born and raised in Cadillac, Mi.
To give you an idea of why I was there, In 1960 I was diagnosed with Epilepsy. I guess back then the only thing they knew to do with someone with epilepsy is lock them up.
On Hall18 every time I had a seizure I was thrown in the seclusion room. Some times in restraints.
I don't recall what the lowest type of punishment was, but there was a couple. One was getting your privileges pulled.
There were different levels of privileges and parol that had to be earned. In order to go outside with the group you had to have privileges, to visit your family (which was every other weekend and for some, once a month) depending on your privileges. A special privilege was going home for the weekend.
One of the few exciting things on Hall18 was on weekends during visiting hours, we were all waiting for the phone to ring to see if our parent’s were coming. When the phone rang we would run to the Nurses station to see who’s parent’s was calling. But then we had to wait for another call from down stairs to say your parent’s was there. I still remember the feeling I had just waiting.
You also had to have privileges receive allowance to go to the Canteen. This was money dropped off at the nurses station by your parent’s.
Parol was one of the highest privileges you could earn. You had a Parol card and could go out on your own.
I just remembered this last night and I'm sure Tom still remember.
The light switches were only a slot in the wall where the actual flip tab went and was activated and deactivated by a key that only the Attendants had. I used a tab off of a pair of pull over snow boots(galoshes) of mine. It fit perfect in the slot.
Some times the attendants would give us the keys and let us turn the lights on.
One thing that never left my mind was the caged in porches. I believe they were refer to as Balcony's and the "day room" was called the Annex(?)
I'm going to cut this short for now but alot more things are coming back.
Here's a picture of me just after I got out of TCSH
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313 ... 1209436781
To be continued
Mike
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Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 11:34 AM
Dear Michael,
Thank you so much for sharing your personal memories....it truly means a lot to me and I find moments of recognition in your recollections.
I had heard about the Parol card...but the whole concept seems so adult... you were just a little kid and it seems so callous and difficult to expect
kids to earn 'priviledges' ....and parol cards? Why were sick little kids treated like prison inmates??!...But I guess it sort of was like a prison then wasn't it.
I am so sorry you and other innocent children had to endure such ignorance and to such a disgraceful extent.
I do not work in the field, but I like to think our generation was the last to experience mental health care without Patient's Rights.
How are you doing now? What do you do in Oklahoma?
My father was born and raised in Cadillac as well and I have about a dozen relatives that still live there.
I grew up in and near Traverse City (I was born at Munson hospital in 1963) My aunt Undine was a patient at the TCSH from 1954 - 1972...she was there
when you were there. As a little kid, I would slide down to floor of the car to hide when we drove by the TCSH...I thought FOR SURE that my aunt could
see my mom and I driving by. I didn't want her to see me and think I was so mean that I wouldn't come and get her out of there. My mother has had problems with
depression her entire life and came from a dysfunctional family of 13 kids. She basically wrote my aunt off because she couldn't deal with her mental illness then...and now.
My aunt had hebrenic schizophrenia.
Anyway Michael, thank you for sending the photo too...what a cute little guy.
I just can't get past how 'trained adults' could treat children so poorly in the 1960's!! ...in some ways, we have come so far in 40+ years...
Just an quick historical story about epilepsy and Dr. James Decker Munson, superintendent of the NMA - TCSH 1885 - 1925. His sister died of complications of epilepsy when he was a young man of 13, Munson then attended U of M in Ann Arbor and wrote his doctoral thesis on epilepsy (I have a copy of the original thesis) And recently I found evidence that an asylum guard (and long time personal friend to Munson) died of an epileptic seizure on the lawn of the hospital in 1910 while on patrol as the Head of asylum security. The newspapers covered it up and said he died of heart failure...But the State of Michigan death records said the cause of death was "epileptic seizure". I find this amazing! that Dr. Munson would knowingly have employed someone with epilepsy in such a position of authority and ESPECIALLY during that time of true ignorance about the illness...maybe Munson was far far ahead of his time.
Take good care,
Heidi Johnson
Certain songs put me in certain places. There are some that put me in one of the seclusion rooms.
remember Mike the record player was next to the first seclusion room next to the office, I can place myself next to that old record player many times.
ronl wrote:Certain songs put me in certain places. There are some that put me in one of the seclusion rooms.
remember Mike the record player was next to the first seclusion room next to the office, I can place myself next to that old record player many times.
Yes now I do recall that.
I thought some of the kid's had their own portable record player.
Weren't they a fad at the time?
Last edited by
mkfarnam on Thu Mar 11, 2010 12:55 pm,
edited 1 time in total.
One song that places me in the seclusion
room is "Tom Dooley"
I read a study not too long ago that was
talking about how the 5 senses and memory
are tied together, that a smell or sound can
be just as powerful as seeing something when
it comes to memory. The more senses
involved, the stronger the trigger. Makes
sense, like how the smell or apple pie and
old radio music might take you back to your
grandmothers house, but unfortunately the
memories that are invoked can be both good
and bad.
You know what they say, the body
remembers....
mk,
do you recall if certain things triggered your seizures when you were in TCSH? How do you react to those same things now, if at all?
(I realize that with medication to decrease seizures this may be a difficult question to answer, however.)
I have wondered how many of the drugs they tested out on you kids may have aggravated your seizures. They knew so little then, although medical science is still only so much guess work in many cases.
mk,
do you recall if certain things triggered your seizures when you were in TCSH? How do you react to those same things now, if at all?
(I realize that with medication to decrease seizures this may be a difficult question to answer, however.)
I have wondered how many of the drugs they tested out on you kids may have aggravated your seizures. They knew so little then, although medical science is still only so much guess work in many cases.
Mike it wasn't till 67 when they allowed
battery operated record players, which I got
one. but in 65 66 we only had that old mono
one which use to be next to the office, that
was where the wall plug was. You were only
about 10 years old so maybe you cannot
recall this. Sometimes they would move it
down by the pool table when the other kids
were watching TV.
ronl wrote:Mike it wasn't till 67 when they allowed battery operated record players, which I got one. but in 65 66 we only had that old mono one which use to be next to the office, that was where the wall plug was. You were only about 10 years old so maybe you cannot recall this. Sometimes they would move it down by the pool table when the other kids were watching TV.
You may be right Ron. I do remember the big one and it being moved around. I may have this mixed up with a time in school. I know I wanted one but never got it.
You couldn't just make demands back then, like some kids can today, you had to earn it.
(no offense intended to anyone)
I found some more historic pictures of TCSH
.
Some have been used on different sites, but there's others I've never seen posted.
http://www.usgwarchives.org/mi/grandtra ... cs-gt.html
Some have been used on different sites, but there's others I've never seen posted.
http://www.usgwarchives.org/mi/grandtra ... cs-gt.html
Here is a beta audio of the intro to the
book, "Where Buffalo Roam"
http://www.hall-18.com/mp3/intro.mp3
http://www.hall-18.com/mp3/intro.mp3
Here is another audio of my life .....
before TCSH
http://www.hall-18.com/mp3/beforetcsh.mp3
http://www.hall-18.com/mp3/beforetcsh.mp3
Ron I'm very proud of you. I couldn't do
this,at least not on video.
This is very interesting. Some things you've mentioned are very close to what I've experienced in my childhood. like the farm and having thing with animals,ect.
I'm saving your intro's in a special folder.
I've been thinking for some time now, about writting a "before-during and maybe after TCSH" documentary.
I couldn't write a book because there would be too many gaps in it.
This is very interesting. Some things you've mentioned are very close to what I've experienced in my childhood. like the farm and having thing with animals,ect.
I'm saving your intro's in a special folder.
I've been thinking for some time now, about writting a "before-during and maybe after TCSH" documentary.
I couldn't write a book because there would be too many gaps in it.