New Deal happenings in Napa County

Above: The Napa County Fairgrounds. In 1940, it was reported that "The Napa County NYA, under the direction of Frank Kadish, has played a large part in putting the [fair]grounds in excellent shape..." ("Finishing Touches at Fairgrounds," Napa Journal, August 13, 1940, p. 6). The "NYA" refers to the New Deal's National Youth Administration, an agency that employed millions of young men and women in need of jobs, training, and financial assistance, 1935-1943. Image from Google Earth, used here for educational, non-commercials purposes.

Above: At this intersection in Napa, California (Yount and Main streets), there used to be a community center. The WPA sponsored many events here, including table tennis tournaments, entertainment programs, sketching classes, and kite & model airplane building. The WPA may also have funded the construction of the community center itself. In 1941, The Napa Journal newspaper reported: "The Napa WPA recreation project was started by the city commission in June, 1940... The recreation project aided in the formation of the City Basketball league and opened a Community Center at Main and Yount streets for both adults and children" ("New Director for Recreation Work Comes Here Monday," January 25, 1941, pp. 1-2). Very little information seems to exist about this community center, suggesting that perhaps the building, or its function as a community center, was short-lived. Image from Google Earth, used here for educational, non-commercial purposes.

Above: Part of the Veterans Home of California, in the town of Yountville, Napa County, California. Notice the "Franklin D. Roosevelt Annex." The New Deal's Public Works Administration (PWA) contributed at least $350,000 to improvements to the Veterans Home ("Official Lists PWA Improvement in Napa County," Napa Journal, June 7, 1939, p. 5). Image from Google Earth, used here for educational, non-commercial purposes.

Above: Part of a longer article in the Napa Journal, July 21, 1938, p. 1. Later articles confirm that this PWA-funded work in the city of Napa was carried out. The article above reports, "The necessity of the main was brought about by an extension of the residential areas into suburbs, and the growing demand for higher water pressure throughout the city." Image from Newspapers.com, used here for educational, non-commercial purposes.

Above: Mt. St. Helena and Robert Louis Stevenson State Park (see "The CCC in Napa County," below, for more details). This general area includes parts of Napa, Sonoma, and Lake counties, California. Image from Google Earth, used here for educational, non-commercial purposes.

The CCC in Napa County

In 1933, it was reported that 105 men in the Civilian Conservation Corps were encamped at Los Posadas [Napa County] on Howell Mountain: "The company had no sooner established itself than part of the men were called out to fight a fire in the hills east of Napa. Besides fire fighting, when necessary, the men will be employed building fire trails, building roads and other improvements... The men are given every opportunity to improve their minds during their stay at camp. Evening classes in languages, mathematics and other subjects for which there is a call are to be given in the recreation room... At present the meals are served at the 4-H camp, pending the completion of the mess hall" ("Camp Site at Los Posados," The St. Helena Star (St. Helena, California), October 27, 1933, p. 1).

Today, that 4-H camp remembers the CCC: "A Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp was established at Las Posadas in 1934 [actually, 1933], and following the close of the CCC program in 1941, the old camp was used as a forestry camp, and rebuilt as a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) fire station in the early 1950's" ("Napa County 4-H Camp," accessed April 29, 2020).

(Note: Shortly after the CCC left, unemployed men were hired by the WPA to reopen the camp facilities and continue some of the CCC's forestry work. See, for example, "Establishment of State Work Camp Is Seen," The Napa Valley Register, December 4, 1935, p. 1, and "Las Posadas Camp Reopened by S.R.A." The Napa Journal, December 23, 1936, p. 2.)

According to a 1959 recollection of the CCC's work in the Napa County area, "One of the most important achievements of the total conservation crew is the road which they built to the top of Mt. St. Helena, and the lookout they established there which has become the area's most important check-spot for fires" ("Forestry Here: Its Story..." The St. Helena Star, April 2, 1959, p. 10).

The website "Napa Valley Hiking" (accessed April 29, 2020) states, "Mount Saint Helena is the highest point in the San Francisco Bay Area watershed," and one way to reach the summit is on a "Fire Road." This is likely the same fire road that the CCC men carved out 85 years ago.

Like the rest of the nation, Napa County benefited from the various New Deal programs that improved infrastructure, promoted recreation, fought forest fires, employed the jobless, etc. The projects detailed above are just a sampling.

California's New Deal Prunes

Above: The caption for this 1938 photograph reads, "Drying prunes of small California farm. Family labor. Sonoma County, California." Photo by Dorothea Lange, Farm Security Administration, provided courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Above: A closer view of the farmers.

The New Deal and the California Prune

The California prune was an important food during the New Deal. For example, in fiscal year 1937, the Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation spent $1,959,864 (that's about $35 million in today's dollars) buying California prunes for distribution to the needy ("Farmers Get 12 Million on Federal Work," The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California), March 19, 1939, p. 16).

An example of how prunes (and other surplus food) were distributed is seen in a different 1939 newspaper article, in Ohio:

"A consignment of over 27 tons of foodstuffs was received Thursday by Relief Director Everett Jacoby after he and B.A. Albright, state director of federal surplus commodities distribution, made a survey of Hocking County's relief situation... Three truck were sent to Columbus Thursday morning to get the following amounts of federal surplus commodities, which are distributed through WPA: Prunes, 5,000 lbs. Beans, 10,000 lbs. Flour, 1,000 24-1/2 lb. bags. Dried skim milk, 5,000 lbs." ("27 Tons of Foodstuffs Arrive for Relief Families," The Logan Daily News (Logan, Ohio), January 12, 1939, p. 1, emphasis added).

California prunes were great for the struggling families of the 1930s because they were loaded with nutrients, for example, potassium, magnesium, dietary fiber, and vitamins A, B, and K. (Also see, "Why Prunes Are Good For You," The Guardian, February 16, 2013.)

Above: A California prune box from the 1930s. An interesting history of the Rosenberg Bros. & Co., a San Francisco-based business, can be read here. Photo by Brent McKee.

Above: The reverse side of the Rosenberg Bros. & Co. prune box, showing that they were members of the National Recovery Administration's (NRA) efforts to lift the country up from the Great Depression. The NRA, as well as the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, were very early New Deal agencies. They seem to have helped the prune industry, which, like most farm sectors, had suffered from extreme price drops (see, for example, "Millions Are Added to State Prune Growers' Output by Price Rise," The San Francisco Examiner, November 17, 1933; and, more generally, "California's Farm Income Up 54 Percent Under [Secretary of Agriculture] Wallace," The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California), September 29, 1940, p. 2). Photo by Brent McKee.

Above: Another California prune box from the 1930s, this one used by the New Deal's Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation. Photo by Brent McKee.

Above: Enrollees in the New Deal's National Youth Administration (NYA) are packaging another type of dried fruit for Surplus Commodity distribution, in Millville, Massachusetts, November 1938. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: Surplus Commodity distribution in St. Johns, Arizona, October 1940. The New Deal had many programs to help feed a hungry nation. Photo by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration, provided courtesy of the Library of Congress.

WPA art, music, dance, and body-building classes in Berkeley, California

Above: This building, at Telegraph Avenue and Channing Way, Berkeley, California, used to be the location of Maxwell Hardware store (occupying the first floor and basement areas). From about March 15 to March 22, 1941, an art exhibition was held at this hardware store. The artworks--which consisted of ceramics, woodcarvings, figurines, and more--were created by students in a WPA art class at the Berkeley Y.W.C.A. ("WPA Art Students Exhibit Handiwork," Oakland Tribune, March 17, 1941, p. 6). Image from Google Streetview, used here for educational, non-commercial purposes.

Above: Somewhere in this cluster of buildings, on Adeline Street, Berkeley, California, a Mr. Joseph Hudner held WPA classes in "sculpture, modeling, drawing, mural painting and woodcarving" ("Berkeley WPA Art Classes to Reopen," Oakland Tribune, February 6, 1941, p. 6). The article reports that the classes were held at 2980 Adeline Street. In the image above, the yellow trapezoid building (center) contains the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles (2982 Adeline Street) and the building to the right of it houses the Oxtail Studio and Gallery (2976 Adeline Street). It seems the WPA art classes were held in one of these buildings. Image from Google Earth, used here for educational, non-commercial purposes.

Above: This is the Berkeley Adult School at 1701 San Pablo Avenue. This location used to be the home of the Franklin Elementary School. In 1939, the following was reported: "Included in WPA educational activities in Berkeley, a course in piano instruction for adults is being held from 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays at the Franklin School, San Pablo and Virginia Streets. Individual instruction is announced by Mrs. Ruby Hendricks, graduate of Kings Conservatory, San Jose" ("Piano Instruction Offered by WPA," Oakland Tribune, January 13, 1939, p. 22). Image from Google Earth, used here for educational, non-commercial purposes.

Above: James Kenney Park, Berkeley, California. The WPA taught ballroom dancing here ("WPA Announces Series of Classes," Oakland Tribune, November 7, 1937, p. 7). Image from Google Earth, used here for educational, non-commercial purposes.

Above: Codornices Park, at right, is near the Berkeley Rose Garden (left). According to the Wikipedia page for the Berkeley Rose Garden, "The clubhouse of the Codornices Club, a neighborhood improvement and social club, once stood on a lot adjacent to the top of the concrete slide" (note the "Concrete Slide" marker in the image above, middle-right). In 1938, it was reported that the WPA would be sponsoring "Tap dancing and body-building" classes in the Codornices Clubhouse ("Recreational Classes Offered Berkeley Public," Oakland Tribune, September 8, 1938). Image from Google Earth, used here for educational, non-commercial purposes.

WPA classes--such as those highlighted above--offered millions of Americans the opportunity to learn new skills, relieve stress, socialize, exercise and... well... just have some fun. We could use similar programs today, to help address the problems we have with social isolation and physical fitness.

Rural hospital closings vs. New Deal hospital construction

Above: This graphic shows where rural hospitals have been closing for the last several years (see the bottom of the image for credits).

Above: This graphic shows where the New Deal's Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of new hospitals, many of which were in rural areas (see the quote at the bottom of this blog post), 1933-1939. Image from America Builds: The Record of PWA, 1939).

Rural hospital closings vs. New Deal hospital construction

An article on CNN today highlights the years-long problem of rural hospital closings. There are many reasons for these closings, including the fact that "they've been hit with reductions in federal funding through Medicaid and Medicare" ("Rural hospitals are facing financial ruin and furloughing staff during the coronavirus pandemic," CNN, April 21, 2020).

As these hospitals are closing--and staff are laid off or furloughed during a pandemic--it is interesting to remember the New Deal's hospital construction and repair work during the 1930s and 40s:

Here are the approximate number of New Deal projects to build, repair, or improve hospitals, by four major agencies:

Public Works Administration (PWA): 822 

Work Division, Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA): 1,093

Works Progress Administration (WPA): 2,550

National Youth Administration (NYA): 839

TOTAL: 5,304 projects to build, repair, or improve hospitals.

(Statistics from agency reports.)

If we were more aware of our New Deal history, and had more imagination about what good government could do (i.e., a government that is truly of, by, and for the people) we could learn valuable lessons and craft more beneficial policies.

"[T]here was, and there still is, a great need for small but modern general hospitals in rural areas all through the country. The hundreds of general hospitals built with PWA funds have provided many of  these."

--PWA Administrator Harold Ickes, and PWA staff, in: American Builds: The Record of PWA, 1939, p. 146

New Deal Surplus in San Francisco

Above: This photo was taken in San Francisco, April 8, 1935. The caption for it reads, "Surplus Commodity Distribution. Food inspector examining grapefruit which is being received at the Surplus Commodity Distribution Center, 1563 Mission Street, for distribution to the unemployed." Interestingly, 1563 Mission Street is now the address for healthRIGHT360's Integrated Care Center, which "provides an innovative healthcare model to serve all San Franciscans, but [is] primarily designed to treat low-income patients, and the harder-to-reach homeless individual" (link). Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: Another San Francisco photo, taken December 27, 1934. The caption reads, "Surplus Commodity Warehouse. Commissary for surplus commodities, manned by crews of transient men." Transient men were essentially homeless, wandering around the nation looking for scarce jobs. Eventually, industry began to recover during the New Deal, and the WPA was created and employed millions, and the transient crisis began to ease. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Food and goods for Californians in need

In 1933, as part of the New Deal, the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation was created; its mission was to distribute essential food and goods to struggling Americans. It was eventually re-named the Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation (FSCC; see the Living New Deal's program summary here). 

In 1936, the FSCC distributed to struggling Americans in California: 60 tons of canned beef; 2,600 tons of fresh apples; 300 tons of dried figs; 16 tons of English walnuts; and much, MUCH more (from the FSCC's 1936 annual report).

The FSCC was also beneficial to farmers of course, who were harvesting more product than what many Americans could buy. For example, in 1936 the FSCC purchased 3 million pounds (or 1,500 tons) of dried peaches from California farmers for distribution to the poor nationwide.

In San Francisco, the FSCC had its headquarters at 112 Market Street ("Government Buying Dried Lima Beans," The Californian (Salinas, California), December 9, 1937). In 1941, it was reported that "[A] notice issued by Merritt A. Clevenger, the Supervising Purchasing Agent, whose office is located in San Francisco, stated that the Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation invites growers and Associations of growers, or their authorized agents, to submit offers to sell 1941 crop natural condition dried prunes to the F.S.C.C." ("Association Deals for Membership in F.S.C.C. Sales," The Hanford Sentinel (Hanford, California), September 19, 1941).

Today, as food banks are running dry--due to the increased demand created by the coronavirus pandemic--it would be good for us to remember the various New Deal efforts to feed the poor and the unemployed, like the F.S.C.C.

(Another New Deal initiative, the "Food Stamp Plan," which has evolved over time into today's SNAP program, is already proving vital in the nation's response to our coronavirus-fueled economic downturn.)

PWA hospital room

Above: A private patient room, at the New Deal / PWA-funded Sayre Hospital, Sayre, Pennsylvania, ca. 1933-1941. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: A somewhat less private room at the Sayre Hospital. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: Sayre Hospital, ca. 1933-1941; one of the many hundreds of hospitals built or improved with New Deal funding. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

New Deal Art: "April" by Virginia Kaar

Above: "April," and artwork by Virginia Kaar (1910-1966), created while she was in the WPA, ca. 1935-1943. Image courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Above: A closer view of the side section of Virginia Kaar's "April."

The Life of Virginia Kaar?

There doesn't seem to be much information on the Internet, or in newspaper archives, about the life of Virginia Kaar. We know that she continued creating art after her time in the WPA. For example, a 1949 newspaper article describes one of Kaar's paintings at an exhibit: "Still another remarkable example of how an imperious imagination can justify its vision and make it widely comprehensible is Virginia Kaar's 'Christmas.' The Christ Child and Mary and Joseph are presented in geometrical figures - yet the effect is neither irreverent nor eccentric. The picture has glow and great charm" ("Artists Show Skill in Their Interpretation," Chicago Tribune, October 6, 1949, p. 58).

Kaar died young, at about 56 years old. The Chicago Tribune printed a brief obituary: "Virginia Kaar, beloved sister of George W. and Sharon Davis. Resting at Beukema Funeral Home, 10456 S. Western avenue, where services will be held Monday at 11 a.m. Please omit flowers. Visitation after 7 p.m. Saturday" ("Kaar," Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1966, p. 12).

What were Ms. Kaar's hopes, dreams, and goals? How much art did she create, and where does it all reside now? Perhaps we'll never know.

The WPA provided thousands of nurses for a nation in need

Above: A WPA nurse in Michigan, ca. 1935-1943. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

We need more nurses

Today, there are not enough nurses to properly handle the coronavirus crisis. For example, this past Tuesday, nurses in Detroit were so stressed that they "refused to work and demanded more nurses be brought into their overrun emergency room" ("Detroit hospital nurses refuse to work without more help, ordered to leave," CNN, April 7, 2020). Earlier, a Detroit nurse had been fired for complaining about staffing shortages, as well as a lack of personal protective equipment, and said: "I have been a nurse for 11 years. We are in a critical need of nurses right now, and to fire me when I have experience and professionalism is wrong" ("Whistleblowing nurse fired after complaining of inhumane conditions at Detroit's Sinai-Grace amid coronavirus outbreak," Detroit Metro-Times, April 10, 2020).

During the New Deal, the WPA provided thousands of nurses for a nation in need.

For example, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 16 WPA nurses provided support for a whooping cough vaccination and study program ("Medicine Near a New Victory," Detroit Free Press, May 18, 1936, p. 5).

The Mayo Clinic describes whooping cough as "a highly contagious respiratory tract infection. In many people, it's marked by a severe hacking cough followed by a high-pitched intake of breath that sounds like 'whoop'... Deaths associated with whooping cough are rare but most commonly occur in infants... Whooping cough is caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, tiny germ-laden droplets are sprayed into the air and breathed into the lungs of anyone who happens to be nearby."

Another example of the value of WPA nurses was reported in New York, October 1936:

"With its forces augmented by 500 WPA nurses, New York state health officials made plans today for a fall and winter campaign against pneumonia... the disease takes 12,000 lives annually in the state... Announcing the assignment of WPA nurses to the health staff, Dr. Rogers said that 'efforts are being made to make bedside nurses available to all victims of pneumonia'" ("500 WPA Nurses to Help State Battle Pneumonia," Press and Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton, New York), Associated Press article, October 6, 1936, p. 1).

Yes, WPA nurses provided great assistance for Americans suffering from whooping cough, pneumonia, diphtheria, small pox, tuberculosis, polio, etc. Wouldn't it be nice to have thousands of WPA nurses for the coronavirus crisis?

Above: A WPA poster, urging prompt medical attention for pneumonia. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The New Deal assisted nurses and reduced stress

Above: The caption for this photograph, taken sometime between 1935 and 1943, reads: "These NYA girls working in Flint Goodrich Hospital, New Orleans, La. perform the duties of apprentice nurses and are equipping themselves for regular training as graduate nurses. 52 youths are employed on this project." The National Youth Administration (NYA) was a New Deal program that employed millions of young adults. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: A WPA poster. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Stress

The coronavirus crisis is placing a great deal of stress on nurses (and also on other hospital employees). Nurses are being overworked; they're experiencing mental fatigue; wealthy investors--who are sitting at home in their pajamas, safe from the virus--are telling nurses to shut up if they want to keep their paychecks; and nurses are also facing a serious risk to their lives, thanks in large part to American voters who, for decades, gave tax breaks to the rich instead of adequately preparing for a public health emergency (for example, adequate supplies of personal protective equipment).

Does it really have to be like this?

Well, fortunately, we have the historical experience of the New Deal to tell us "no."

The New Deal's stress-relieving healthcare supplementation

During the New Deal, there were efforts to help nurses with their workloads, and also reduce stress on the overall health system. All across America, nurses and nurse's aids were hired and trained by New Deal work programs. This was welcome relief for a country dealing with economic depression, several dangerous diseases (tuberculosis, polio, smallpox, etc.) and, eventually, a world war.

In Alaska, for example, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) hired two nurses and, "During an epidemic of smallpox at Juneau the visiting nurse assisted the Commissioner of Health in the vaccination campaign, and made over 1,900 vaccinations" (The Emergency Work Relief Program of the FERA: April 1, 1934-July 1, 1935, p. 81).

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) had many nurse and nursing-aid projects in the 1930s and 40s, for example:

"A program for the training of non professional personnel to serve in hospitals and other institutions was set up late in the fiscal year 1941 and was operated under the WPA service activities. This training was begun in response to requests from various Federal agencies, hospital superintendents, and health officials, and was a part of the national defense training program. It was designed to train WPA workers to serve as ward helpers, orderlies, and other assistants in the giving of elementary care to the sick, under professional supervision" (Final Report on the WPA Program, 1935-43, p. 93).

The National Youth Administration (NYA) also assisted the nation's healthcare system:

"One of the most successful types of projects from the standpoints of job training, community service, and health education was the hospital project. In 2 fiscal years alone, 1941 and 1942, NYA girls assisted in 1,733 hospitals" (Final Report of the National Youth Administration, Fiscal Years 1936-1943, p. 165).

Duties of the NYA hospital aids included:

"... cleaning, sweeping, dusting, care of bathrooms and drains, care of some equipment including linens and furniture, removing of stains, disposal of refuse and garbage, and community sanitation... girls mended and marked garments, and made linens and garments. They also did hand and machine laundry... care of kitchen equipment, preparation and cooking of foods, and serving of meals in nurses' dining rooms and on trays... assisting with the admission of patients; assorting and distributing mail; answering the telephone; making beds for convalescent patients; helping to feed children and adult patients; assisting crippled patients out of bed; passing wash basins, soap, towels; filling ice bags and hot water bottles (and checking them with nurses) transporting wheel chair and stretcher patients; arranging flowers; and stand-by assistance to nurses. If the hospital operated an out-patient department, the youth assisted with records, admissions, preparation for clinics, and care of supplies and equipment" (see previous hyperlink, p. 166).

Today, we could use similar FERA, WPA, and NYA programs to help relieve the stress that our nurses and other healthcare workers are going through.

Above: This photo was taken in Cinco, West Virginia, July 6, 1938. The caption reads, "A practical nurse who was taught in a WPA adult education class is shown as she attends a patient. Through instruction received she is able to earn her living through this profession." Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: An NYA Nurses Aid Project in the Virgin Islands, ca. 1935-1943. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: A close-up of one of the NYA Nursing Aids. Note the "NYA" letters on her shirt pocket.

The WPA produced hospital masks and other PPE

Above: A woman's outfit and a nurse's uniform, both made in a WPA sewing room in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ca. 1935-1943. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: A WPA sewing room, Millville, Massachusetts, November 1938. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

The WPA makes PPE

As we're witnessing so many problems with personal protective equipment (PPE) during the coronavirus pandemic--for example, stockpile shortages, conflicting advice on when the public should use masks, and states competing against one another for needed supplies--it's interesting to remember the WPA production of PPE during the New Deal era.

On October 22, 1936, the St. Cloud Times (St. Cloud, Minnesota) reported the following WPA project at the St. Cloud Hospital: "Three workers, directed by Sister Maryola, are making hospital supplies for county patients. The hospital, as sponsor for this project, buys all material. It is converted into pneumonia jackets, gowns, sterile towels and table covers, masks, surgical garments, robes, pajamas and wash cloths... 'We are receiving great returns for our investment in this work,' Sister Maryola said today, 'Previously, we bought all our garments ready made. The cost to us was much greater and the quality of the articles could not be compared with that maintained on this WPA project'" ("Relief Women Sew To Provide Needy Families With Clothing," p. 6).

(Interestingly, the St. Cloud Times recently reported that college groups, in response to coronavirus, are "working to create face shields for medical workers and to sew cloth masks," and also that the St. Cloud Hospital is going to be converted "into a 420-unit ICU" coronavirus care center.)

In Florida, for an Orange County tuberculosis hospital, WPA sewing room workers made, "One hundred and forty-four pneumathoraz sheets, 400 nurses caps, 348 nurses slips, 301 kitchen aprons, 600 towels, 144 bed pan covers, 144 urinal covers, 360 mattress covers, 240 bath robes, six bath mats, 400 patients gowns, 600 masks, 100 dresser scarfs, 160 screen panels, 422 doctors and nurses general gowns and 48 doctors operating gowns" ("Sewing Room Aids Hospital," The Orlando Sentinel, September 19, 1937, p.2).

The WPA had many projects like the above, helping hospitals and patients during the tough times of the 1930s, when diseases like diphtheria, small pox, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and polio were serious problems. The Final Report on the WPA Program notes that WPA workers produced "117,800,000 household articles and hospital and institutional gowns and articles" (p. 67). 

The action of the New Deal vs. the sloth of neoliberalism

In studying the New Deal pretty intensely (even obsessively) for about ten years now, I've concluded that New Deal leaders had several traits that, by and large, do not exist in today's "leaders." Two of these traits are: Imagination and action. For example, New Deal leaders had the imagination to think about sewing jobs for the unemployed, and they also had the action-oriented mindset and willpower to transform their imagination into reality.

Today, on the other hand, our leaders are immersed in neoliberalism. Their thought processes constantly revolve around privatization, outsourcing, and deference to super-wealthy investors. They don't think, "What can I do?" as much as they think, "What do my wealthy donors want to do?" Is it any wonder then, that our PPE production was sent overseas, our national stockpiles were underfunded, and we're currently experiencing a PPE crisis?

Yes, today, if you mention things like Medicare-for-All, a new WPA, or higher taxes on the wealthy to improve the common good (for example, our national emergency stockpiles), you'll be met with a blank stare, at best, or more often a dismissive "Oh, that's just pie-in-the-sky! Be practical, will ya!"

Make no mistake about it - the people who portray themselves to be the "practical" ones, and the "adults in the room," have gotten us into this mess. They have never failed to browbeat and mock those who have imagination. They have never failed to let Corporate America trounce the public good. 

But they have failed us.

Above: "Girl Sewing," a color woodcut print, created by Bernard P. Schardt (1904-1979), created while he was in the WPA, ca. 1935-1943. Image courtesy of the General Services Administration and the University of Michigan Museum of Art.

The WPA fights viruses

Above: This photo shows children with infantile paralysis getting exercise in a WPA therapy program in Albany, New York, May 1936. Infantile paralysis is caused by the poliovirus. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: A WPA poster promoting vaccination. Smallpox is caused by the variola virus. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

WPA vs. Virus

During the New Deal, WPA workers assisted in the fight against many viruses. One of their primary battles was against the poliovirus. According to the Mayo Clinic, "Polio [also called "infantile paralysis"] is a contagious viral illness that in its most severe form causes nerve injury leading to paralysis, difficulty breathing and sometimes death"; and (similar to some people who get the coronavirus) "the majority of people who are infected with the [polio]virus don't get sick and aren't aware they've been infected."

Unfortunately, as we're learning today, even a small percentage can equal a very large overall number. For a good portion of the 20th century, polio wreaked havoc in America. For example:

"By the 1950s, polio had become one of the most serious communicable diseases among children in the United States. In 1952 alone, nearly 60,000 children were infected with the virus; thousands were paralyzed, and more than 3,000 died" ("Wiping Out Polio: How The U.S. Snuffed Out A Killer," NPR, October 15, 2012). 

Before the 1950s, President Franklin Roosevelt had pushed for improved polio research, and President Harry Truman had warned: "The fight against infantile paralysis cannot be a local war. It must be nationwide. It must be total war in every city, town and village throughout the land. For only with a united front can we ever hope to win any war" (see previous link).

There was no effective vaccine for polio during the New Deal era, so the WPA had to use other methods to fight the disease and help those infected. For example, a 1936 newspaper article reported:

"All resources of the WPA in Alabama yesterday were placed by Administrator Ray Crow at the disposal of Dr. J.N. Baker, State health officer, in the fight that is being waged against infantile paralysis now epidemic in north Alabama... Trained nurses will be furnished by the WPA to go into the 10 Alabama counties that have no health officers or public health units to aid in administering the preventive [nasal] spray, otherwise assist county medical societies and their individual members, and in general take the place of health officers insofar as is possible" ("WPA Enlisted In 'Polio War' As Scare Grows," The Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Alabama), July 21, 1936, p. 1).

The WPA also built or operated hydrotherapy centers for children who had physical problems or disabilities due to polio. For example, a newspaper reported in 1941:

"The most extensive of the WPA projects is active at the Neponsit Beach Hospital (New York City) for crippled children... Repair and modernization of the 33-year-old main building, which started last year, is being continued with the revamping of children's dressing rooms, serving pantries, offices and four wards... Making over of the hydrotherapy room will include installation of whirlpool saltwater baths and a Hubbard bath for the treatment of infantile paralysis cases" ("Improvements for Hospitals in Queens Co.," The Brooklyn Citizen (Brooklyn, New York), April 7, 1941, p. 2).

Above: This photo was taken in Longport, New Jersey, September 1937. The caption reads: "Infantile Paralysis - a child patient is shown being treated in a Hubbard-Currance Tub installed in the hospital by WPA. Betty Bacharach Home." Photo courtesy of the National Archives.