12
Duke’s Volunteers
Auxilians Display History of Helping
They're called pink ladies, volunteers,
auxilians, and sometimes just hospital
helpers.
Whatever they're called, their job is
lending a helping hand.
Their history dates back to an
auxiliary group organized shortly after
the Hospital opened. It was revitalized
and reorganized in 1950 through the
efforts of Ross Porter, then
superintendent of the Hospital, and two
faculty members' wives, Mrs. Bayard
Carter and Mrs. Watt Eagle.
On April 11, 1950, the first meeting
for the new auxiliary attracted 252
charter members.
Mrs. Carter, chairman of the group,
explained the three-fold purpose of the
auxiliary: 1) interpretation of the
Hospital to the community 2) service to
others and 3) readiness for service in any
emergency.
During the first year of operation, the
ladies began selecting gifts for various
Hospital departments from the money
earned through their coffee counter. The
N.C. Cerebral Palsy Hospital, the Duke
Pediatric Clinic, the gynecologic cancer
laboratory, and the pediatrics wards were
recipients of some of the first gifts of the
auxiliary.
Junior Volunteers, usually called
candystipers, first worked in the Hospital
in the summer of 1950. Duke pioneered
in using junior volunteers in the Hospital
The Duke auxiliary is also responsible
for the introduction of the cherry pink
smocks now used by most auxiliaries in
the United States.
Through the years, the Duke Auxiliary
has added a number of new services to
their original coffee, shop cart, and
pediatrics work. Auxilians currently
volunteer for the library cart which
travels to the wards, work at two coffee
counters, provide guide and information
services in the Outpatient Departnfient,
and staff a gift shop.
Gifts to various departments
throughout the Hospital now total several
thousand dollars each year.
Intercom had its start \yith the
auxiliary, too. The ladies began the
newsletter in 1950 as a means of
communication to members. The
Hospital took over the function some
years later.
the first snack bar - The Duke Hospital Auxiliary began its coffee service
in the early 1950's with the small traveling cart at left. To the right of the picture is a
portable ice cream cart purchased a short while later. The group now uses more than
3,000 pounds of coffee a year in its two modern snack bars.
FIRST A UXILIARY PRESIDENTS — These are the first six presidents of the Duke
Hospital Auxiliary after its reorganization in 1950. Starting with number one are Mrs.
Bayard Carter, Mrs. Watt Eagle, Mrs. H. Shelton Smith, Mrs. Alan K. Manchester, Mrs.
Julian Ruffin, and Mrs. Theady Daniels, (photo courtesy of Duke Hospital Auxiliary)