My Aunt Ruby

I grew up in the 50's and 60’s in Union Lake Michigan.  Around me were a lot of great people who helped me grow in every way that was important. Go to school, work hard, treat others the way you would like to be treated and help those who had less or were going through hard times.  No one actually talked about these things much; all you had to do was watch what these folks did and do that.  They were the perfect examples of how to live your life successfully.  Everyone in the neighborhood looked after each other and was ready at a moment’s notice when someone needed help.

My Aunt Ruby was one of these people.  She was my dad’s sister and a good friend to my mom.  She and Uncle Claude lived nearby so I saw them a lot and there were always cookies at Aunt Ruby’s.   Aunt Ruby is no longer with us but we will always keep her in our hearts and try our best to be like her.  You see, for many years she nursed people back to health at the Oakland County Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Union Lake. It was a job that required incredible patience because it took a long time, sometimes years, to recover. After World War II Tuberculosis broke out worldwide and the U.S. had many cases.  With the vaccine that was developed in 1921 in Paris, France by Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin at the Pasteur Institute many folks got the vaccine and then some treatment drugs became available in the 50’s. This one – two punch finally overcame the disease and by 1964 the Sanatorium was sold to Oakland Community College.  Aunt Ruby had worked herself out of a job after helping many folks recover from this deadly disease. I would later take some college courses in the same building where Aunt Ruby worked.

We now enter a time where science is questioned by non-scientists and treatments are questioned by those with a non-medical agenda, TB is making a comeback.  There are approximately 170 cases in Michigan and TB has crept back up to the 13th leading cause of death worldwide.  Many funds for medical research have been halted recently.

The photo included with this story is the current OCC Building that sits on the site where the Sanatorium was.  The property was sold to Oakland County in 1964 and the old Sanatorium was demolished in 2013.

Oakland County is attempting to repurpose the property again with Waterford Township. Hopefully we will not have to turn it back into a Sanatorium.  A smart person once said that history repeats itself.  I hope this isn’t one of those times.  Thanks for listening . . . Tony