Because the records include Confidential Health Information (CHI) as defined by Columbia University policies governing data security and privacy, access is allowed only under the terms of Archives and Special Collections’ Access Policy to Records Containing Confidential Health Information.
Records of the Babies Hospital Alumni Association, 1894-2008 (bulk 1985-2002), including photographs, scrapbooks, alumni questionnaires, and administrative and correspondence files related to the general management of the Association, as well as events such as the annual Alumni Day and joint meeting with the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Also a small quantity of records from the Babies Hospital, including copies of the Babies Hospital News Bulletin, a World War II newsletter; administrative correspondence regarding a variety of topics, including the Child Development Program; memorial plaques; the merger with Presbyterian Hospital; Rustin McIntosh’s 25th Anniversary at the hospital and the foundation later set up in his name; and fundraisers such as the HeartBeat Cabaret. Also present is a small quantity of records from the Babies Hospital Board of Women Managers, including correspondence and financial records, 1988-2008.
History and Biography
Babies Hospital was founded in 1887 by five women “to provide medical and surgical aid and nursing for sick babies.” Within twenty years it had established an outpatient department, a training school for nurses, and a summer hospital on the New Jersey shore. In 1900, it became a teaching affiliate of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and in 1929 it affiliated with Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and moved to 168th Street in Manhattan. L. Emmett Holt, Herbert Wilcox, Sr. and Rustin McIntosh were among the medical directors of the hospital in the 20th century.
The formation of an Alumni Association for the Babies Hospital was discussed and some preliminary steps were taken in 1927, but the organization was not formally founded until 1937. The mission of the organization, as stated by Babies Hospital Director Herbert B. Wilcox in the 1927 Annual Report, is to “... keep alive the interest of our graduates and attract new men to us.” The Alumni Association supports that mission by sponsoring yearly meetings of the alumni featuring scholarly lectures on a variety of medical and scientific topics, and also working to preserve the history of the hospital by soliciting donations of archival materials from graduates.
Organization
Arranged in six series: I. Babies Hospital Alumni Association; II. Babies Hospital Alumni Association Events; III. Babies Hospital; IV. Babies Hospital Board of Women Managers; V. Photographs; VI. Index cards.
Series I. Babies Hospital Alumni Association, 1913-1999
Boxes 1-8
Sub-series are as follows:
Sub-series 1.1: (4 boxes, 1.33 cu. feet) General Administration, 1927-2008
Founding documents, including constitution and by-laws; minutes of Executive Committee and Annual meetings; alumni lists and directories; and Alumni Day speeches given by presidents of the Association; arranged alphabetically.
Sub-series 1.2: (1.5 boxes, .33 cu. feet) Deceased alumni, 1974-1999
Biographical information on deceased alumni, including staff; arranged alphabetically
Sub-series 1.3: (.5 boxes, .33 cu. feet) History book, 1913-1987
News clippings, photos and other documents documenting the history of the Babies Hospital and the Alumni Association; arranged in page order.
Sub-series 1.4: (1 box, .33 cu. feet) Alumni Questionnaires. C. 1990s
Alumni questionnaires from the 1990s; arranged alphabetically.
Series II. Babies Hospital Alumni Association Events, 1935-2006
Boxes 8-15
Correspondence, notes, invitations, brochures and other materials related to Babies’ Hospital events, including the annual Alumni Day and meetings held jointly with the American Association of Pediatrics; arranged chronologically.
Series III. Babies Hospital, 1894-2007
Boxes 15-16
Administrative correspondence on a variety of subjects, including the Child Development Program; memorial plaques; and the merger with Presbyterian Hospital, as well as copies of the Babies Hospital News Bulletin, a World War II newsletter; and assorted event flyers and announcements.
Series IV. Babies Hospital Board of Women Managers, 1988-2008
Boxes 16-18
Board of Women Managers correspondence and financial records; arranged chronologically.
Series V. Photographs, 1940s-2004
Boxes 19-28
Sub-series are as follows:
Sub-series 5.1: (2 boxes, .66 cu. feet), Babies Hospital Alumni Association, 1963-2002
Photos sent to the alumni association by former residents and photographs from events sponsored by the Alumni Association, such as Alumni Day and the annual joint meeting with the American Academy of Pediatrics; arranged chronologically.
Sub-series 5.2: (7 boxes, 2.33 cu. feet and 2 bound volumes) Babies Hospital
Sub-sub series 5.2.1: Early photographs and related documents,1940s-1950s
Notes and correspondence regarding historical photos found in a staff office; a model release form; and prints depicting Babies’ Hospital events, patients and staff, from the 1940s-1950s. Arranged chronologically.
Sub-sub series 5.2.2: Photographs, 1986-2004
Prints, contact sheets and negatives depicting Babies Hospital events, patients and staff, from the 1990s-2002. There is a significant volume of images documenting the activities of the Babies Heart Foundation; the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit; the Children’s Lung and Cystic Fibrosis Center; and the Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Arranged alphabetically.
Sub-series 5.3: (.5 boxes, 10 folders) Babies Hospital Board of Women Managers Associates Advisory Board, 1989-1995
Prints and contact sheets depicting events sponsored by the Associates Advisory Board, such as the Annual Dinner and fundraising events, as well as members of the Board of Women Managers; arranged alphabetically.
Sub-series 5.4: (2 volumes) Bound Volumes, 1987 and 1994
Two bound photo albums containing pictures from the HeartBeat Cabaret, 1987 and 1994; arranged chronologically.
Series VI: Index cards, c. 1990s
Box 29
1 box of index cards containing names and dates of employment for Babies Hospital residents, 1891-1988. In some cases the cards were created many years after the individual worked at the hospital; precise date of creation is unknown. Arranged alphabetically.
The records of the Babies Hospital Alumni Association date from 1894-2008, with the majority of the records dating from 1985 to 2002. Included in the collection are photographs, scrapbooks, alumni questionnaires, and administrative and correspondence files related to the general management of the Association, as well as events such as the annual Alumni Day and joint meeting with the American Academy of Pediatrics.
There is also a small quantity of records from the Babies Hospital, including copies of the Babies Hospital News Bulletin, a World War II newsletter; administrative correspondence regarding a variety of topics, including the Child Development Program; memorial plaques; the merger with Presbyterian Hospital; Rustin McIntosh’s 25th Anniversary at the hospital and the foundation later set up in his name; and fundraisers such as the HeartBeat Cabaret. Also present is a small quantity of records from the Babies Hospital Board of Women Managers, including correspondence and financial records, 1988-2008.
One hundred and sixty-three photographs have been digitized and physically separated from these records and placed with other photograph collections, as noted in the appended container list.
Subject Headings and Related Records
Administrative Information
Gift of the Babies Hospital Alumni Association (Accession # 2009.12.03)
Processed and finding aid written by Jennifer McGillan, June-September 2013. Duplicates were removed; material about the development of flame retardant clothing was separated and made into an independent collection; and artifacts and one oversize newspaper clipping scrapbook were separated and added to the CUMC Artifact collection and the Babies Hospital Scrapbook collection, respectively. Finding aid revised by Jennifer Ulrich, June 2017. Some photographs were digitized and physically separated from this collection, as noted in the appended container list.