Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Allison Jones, continued

Allison's question, "what was the name of the Ford Motor Company doctor who was with you when we met eight years ago?" keep haunting me for the next two days. How could I forget? Maybe the name is in my book, Santarém - Riverboat Town. Nope, not there. But I knew it was recorded in some written document. At last I remembered that Mary Dempsy, a Detroit based journalist, had interviewed him for a magazine report on Henry Ford in Belterra. There it was in her article. His name is Dr. Emerick Szilagyi. I have no idea if the good doctor is still alive. When I took him to revisit Belterra, he was getting up there in the years, but still worked at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. I think I had given Mary Dempsy his name as a contact. Her original article appeared in the July/August 1994 issue of Michigan History. Click here for the link. That's me in the image. The picture was taken shortly before the whole hospital building burned down to the ground. It had been one of the most important hospitals in South America during the years Dr. Szilagyi had worked there, 1942-1945.

5 comments:

GingerV said...

Googled him - Shows died in 1975 - see http://www.henryfordhealth.org/body.cfm?id=47769

GingerV said...

wish I could edit the last comment - he stepped down from the hospital in 1975.

Steven Winn Alexander said...

Ginger, don't scare me like that! I thought I'd spent two days with a ghost. Thanks for the link. I may add it to that blog post, or create another one. A little bit of history is always better. Cheers.

Linda F said...

He is very much alive and has just completed his memoirs which were just published. My mother was his assistant for many years at HFH. He just celebrated his 98th birthday.

Steven Winn Alexander said...

> Linda, thanks so much for bringing us up to date. Indeed, I'd like to know more about his memoirs, since he had told me personally that he was about to begin writing the book. If possible, I'd also like an image of the good doctor so that I can write something for the local newspaper(s). There will be lots of people interested in this event. Cheers.