Golden Anniversary for Current Thompson Campus

The year 1971 was a year hailed as monumental in popular music, the year Americans were buzzing about the “Fight of the Century” between Joe Frazier versus Muhammad Ali, and a pivotal year in the Vietnam War.

It was also a big year for Canandaigua and surrounding communities, as F.F. Thompson Hospital moved from its original spot at 120 N. Main St. – where it had been located for 67 years – to a brand-new building at 350 Parrish St. A new nursing home, attached to the hospital, was soon to follow.

This summer, Thompson Health is celebrating the 50^th anniversary of these milestones in its history with social media posts, a display outside the hospital cafeteria and a special edition of the internal newsletter, which includes an update on the first baby born at the Parrish Street hospital.

Some of those who were there have been interviewed, including retired nurses and Bruce Kennedy, a retired businessman who was serving on the Board of Directors for Thompson in 1971 and recalls how the move made continued growth possible. “We thought it was the most modern and wonderful thing that could happen for Canandaigua at that time,” he said.

Newspaper clippings bear that out. One article on the day of the hospital move – July 30 – closed with a quote from a local man who watched from the parking lot as local ambulance squads transferred 37 hospital patients into the new building.

“I just had to come and watch,” the man told a reporter. “Boy, isn’t this something.”