Anna Louise Tittman Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

Anna Tittman 86
director of the Amrican Red Cross Nursing Service, who pwsed from this
life April 15, in Eranee. Reverend E. B. Rodgers preached a wonderfU
semn, and the choir sang beautifilly . There were 35 Red Cross nurses
in uniform with the cape of scarlet lining. We wore them with the left
side thrmnm over our shoulder to expose the scarlet lining. Do you know
the cape?
Q. If ve seen pictures of it on posters.
A. Well, a sequel to this story. We had to return the cqpes after our
service was over. But I went to that all day meting a cquple of weeks
ago for the Senior Citizens, for the Codssion of the Senior Citizens, it
was so good. I was only going to go for the morning. Ma@y bider stuck
with re. She wanted to stay too, we stayed all day. But a nurse I know
who married a doctor here-his narne was Hodges, he's not Jiving now, I didn't
bow hfm or anything about him, I think he was a doctor, maybe not--anyhow,
she had this cape on at that meting. She was doing nurswg service there,
she was on call in case there was anyone [who] got sick og fell.
I said, "Why don't you wear it the way you should with thg cape back?''
She sdd, "You how, I'm thinking about taking 'chat red lbing out and just
rraMng a regular cape out of it. l1 Well, it hwt me so. $he didn't have it
thrown back, you see. She had it on [with the side dm],
Q. Was she one of the ones who took part in the ce~m~nywith you or had
she gotten her cape at a later date?
A. I don't know. No, she wasn't listed with rry group. $he might've been
with some other-rnaybe the Red Cross has changed now, but they go on emergency
work like I had a couple of cases of. Why they rmyrbe allowed to
keep the cape if they agree to go whenever they're called4 She had p white
uniform underneath because she was on duty. Maybe she wa$ on the R Cross
duty for my emrgency that mL&t occur at the old people's gather$.
Well, anyhow, "There were 35 Red Cross nurses at this in uniform with the
capes of scarlet lining at the mmrlal sedce. A nunbey of other waduates
and the pupils of Springfield and St. John's Hospital sch@ols for nurses, "-
they were mtRed Cross-but they were there in thei~ unifDrms. "About ninety
nurses all together Thursday night atbended party in my h~nar at the home
of Nillie Rich again. There were present Miss Ballman, P&ss Jenny," something,
"Hllie and maelf. We--?this is
Murray Hanes, We. OIHayla, and Billy Bums, the last
the rest by his splendid singing. We all enjoyed
CharYisma." Well now, Murray Hanes I've known for
used to ask E to corrre and stay with the six
out when I was about twelve ye- old.
Murray wed to want to wrestle with me, and I didn't know how t
so I wamrt any mod. At this meeting, the a11 day i-twtir?g of
Citizens, he received a place in the Hall of F'am of the or@
the c~ssion, and had his nam on a little plate. He axre up
it ; I didnl t get a chance to speak to him directly. It was awf'ul
So that was interesting to see him in old age. He had sqre comic
to make when they gave it to blm. He had a certificate