Who Was Loiuse Burg? (Chicago, Leland: elementary school, university, medical)

[Markxxx]

There was a hospital at 255 West Cermak Road in Chicago named "Louise Burg Hospital." Who was Louise Burg? I can't find out info. I looked up in old Chicago Tribune, Chicago Defender, Daily News archives and couldn't find out. I have a ton of articles on the hospital itself, but none on who Louise was.

The hospital was renamed Lakeside Community Hospital and then finally closed and prior to it's being the Louise Burg Hospital it was called the People's Hospital.

[Avengerfire]

It looks like the Straight Dope message boards basically answered your question already.

I can't find anymore info. But I do get a feeling Louise Burg may have been a black doctor...

[Mr Downtown]

If she had been a black physician, her name would be well known. She'd be in every modern book about notable women, notable African-Americans, and notable Chicagoans. Kids would write essays about her every Black History Month or do History Fair projects about her. There would be a park and probably an elementary school named for her.

More likely, I think, is that she was the daughter of a Chicago businessman, and she died as a child, still unknown to anyone outside her family and friends. Her father gave money to found a hospital in her name, much like the Leland Stanford Junior University.

[JuicyXXX]

We did it go from Louise Burg to Lakeside Community Hospital? Then when did Lakeside close?

[danbattlegriffin]

Originally Posted by Markxxx

There was a hospital at 255 West Cermak Road in Chicago named "Louise Burg Hospital." Who was Louise Burg? I can't find out info. I looked up in old Chicago Tribune, Chicago Defender, Daily News archives and couldn't find out. I have a ton of articles on the hospital itself, but none on who Louise was.

The hospital was renamed Lakeside Community Hospital and then finally closed and prior to it's being the Louise Burg Hospital it was called the People's Hospital.

Do you have any info on the chief doctor, Dr. Bertice?

[danbattlegriffin]

Dr. Bertice was the head doctor who died in the 1980's, I think. Does any one know what happened to the medical records of Louise Burg Hospital?

[chicago9999999]

Who was Louise Burg--

The story is that Dr. Lewis Tanenbaum, founder of the Louise Burg Hospital, was searching for a name for his recently-acquired hospital. This was in 1954. He had submitted various names to a state board, but they had been turned down, since those names had already been taken by other hospitals. So Dr. Tanenbaum was still pondering the question of what to name the hospital when he ran into a friend of his, Mr. Burg (first name unknown). Mr. Burg was despondent, and Dr. Tanenbaum asked why. Mr. Burg replied that his sister had recently passed away, and he had no way to make a charitable donation in her memory, since he had little money. Dr. Tanenbaum then came up with the idea to name his hospital after his friend Mr. Burg's sister, Louise Burg. And so Louise Burg, whom Dr. Tanenbaum had never met, became the name of his hospital. Incidentally, when Dr. Tanenbaum gave his hospital away in 1979 (I believe this is the correct date), the new owners kept the name Louise Burg for at least several years after that.

[danbattlegriffin]

Do you know where Louise Burg Hospital's patient's records are being stored?

Dan Griffin\danbattlegriffin@aim.com

[BOBNCHI]

Hospitals in Illinois must preserve medical records for at least 10 years as a matter of consumer protection. The retention policy also applies after a hospital closes. Being the hospital closed in the early/mid 90''s the records are probably destroyed.