PA College Magazine - Winter 2021 - 14

HALL OF
HISTORY

Lancaster General Hospital School of Nursing Class of 1927, given to PA College by JoAnn (Schrite) Diffendall '54, whose
mother, Anna Mary (Mann) Schrite '27, was a member of the class. The two are among many mother-daughter legacy
pairs who attended PA College over the years. (Their late cousin Joanna [McLaughlin] Bailes '53 is also an alumna.)

A Family Legacy of Healing
Anna Mary (Mann) Schrite '27 was
among many Lancaster General
Hospital students and alumni who
entered the work force shortly
before the Great Depression hit. 
Just two years after her graduation,
the stock market crash of 1929
plunged the country into some
of the worst poverty the United
States has ever seen. The sudden
economic decline had far-reaching
implications that touched countless 
industries, including health care. Many
hospitals lost funding, which resulted in
fewer nursing positions - and even
forced some hospitals to close their doors.  
Overcrowding, malnutrition, poor
hygiene and other effects of extreme

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poverty meant more people needed
medical care. But as unemployment
skyrocketed, nursing jobs were
disappearing. Hospitals were able
to adjust schedules to keep more
nurses employed. Rather than
working six or seven 12-hour days,
nurses were asked to work fewer 
eight-hour days.  
While many hospitals struggled to
adjust in the wake of the Great
Depression, that was not the case
for Lancaster General Hospital.
In November 1929, the hospital
underwent a large expansion project,
paving the way for a new maternity
building, a new administration wing
and additional housing for nurses.  

While this expansion was taking
place, Anna gave birth to JoAnn in
1933 in their family farmhouse. Anna
spent JoAnn's childhood working on
their farm. By the time JoAnn was
in her early teens, Anna returned to
nursing, going to work for LGH in the
Labor and Delivery ward. Following
her graduation in 1954, JoAnn continued
the family legacy, going to work at the
then Lancaster Osteopathic Hospital
in Labor and Delivery.
The mother and daughter spent
many years working as nurses, before
Anna retired. JoAnn now resides in
Millersville and looks forward to her
class' monthly gatherings, whether
that be a lunch or a phone call. n
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PA College Magazine - Winter 2021

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