Dr. Orlen J. Johnson Medical Science Library Dedicated at Bay Med Hospital
Awards in Dr. Johnson's Honor to be Announced at Foundation Annual Meeting
April 4, 2010
By: Dave Rogers
Keith Markstrom, director, Bay Medical Foundation, welcomes guests to the Dorothy Johnson Conference Room of the Dr. Orlen J. Johnson Medical Science Library at Bay Regional Medical Center.
Designers Kurt Fogelsonger and Deedra Richmond, of Wigen Tincknell Meyers Architects admire the library study area.
The Bay Medical Foundation recently dedicated the Dr. Orlen J. Johnson Medical Science Library.
The library is located in the main Bay Regional Medical Center in the area formerly occupied by the emergency rooms.
Dr. James Compau, chief of staff, conducted the dedication, assisted by Keith Markstrom, director of the foundation.
Funding was provided by the Orlen J. Johnson Memorial Fund, established some years ago as a provision of the estate of the late physician. Dr. Johnson left about $1 million "for the express purpose of establishing and/or maintaining a medical library and/or an educational facility for continuing medical education."
Dr. Johnson, born in 1905, a native of Reed City, was graduated from Hillsdale College in 1927, studied pharmacy briefly at Ferris Institute and the University of Michigan Medical School in 1930. He also earned a masters' degree in public health from Harvard University.
He interned at St. Luke's Hospital, Chicago, and served the American Medical Association in Chicago for several years and practiced for about a decade in Marshall before coming to Bay City.
Dr. Johnson was president of the Michigan State Medical Society 1963-64. He was past chief of staff at General Hospital and had written several articles published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In August, 1949, he and his wife Dorothy, avid sailors, were rescued after 28 hours on Saginaw Bay clinging to the mast of their sunken sailboat. The incident made national news.
Dr. Johnson died in 1989 and his wife died in 1996. They were fondly remembered by physicians and staff members at the library dedication.
Bay Medical Foundation will be announcing the recipients of the Dr. Orlen J. Johnson Awards at its annual meeting on October 28, 2010. Three honorees will be presented the awards at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Bay City.
Dr. Johnson served the community for over forty years. He was dedicated to the cause of heath and healing. Dr. Johnson was a general practitioner who participated in the development of quality
healthcare locally and statewide. He was chief of staff at Bay City General Hospital and instrumental in the development of Bay Medical Center, which became the Bay Regional Medical Center, now a part of
McLaren Health Care Corporation.
The Dr. Orlen J. Johnson Awards will honor three individuals who are following in the footsteps of a man who devoted his life to helping others in his community. The Awards will be presented to
individuals who have devoted their time and talent to Bay Regional Medical Center or its affiliated organizations. The Awards will honor:
A living physician who has faithfully served his or her profession and the community and has inspired others in the healthcare field.
A living employee who has demonstrated commitment to his or her profession by enhancing services to patients and others associated with the hospital.
A living volunteer who has devoted his or her time and energy in support of health care and the betterment of individuals served by Bay Regional Medical Center.
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