Re: Lost for decades, original Cat in the Hat returned to children’s hospital in Saanich (vicnews.com)
I spent several months recuperating in the Queen Alexandra Solarium (as it was then called) in the late 1950s. One of my fondest memories of that time was the day Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel) came to visit.
All the mobile children were assembled in the auditorium, and the good doctor opened a big box of coloured chalk and proceeded to fill the large blackboard with one of his fantastic creatures.
He asked each child to describe a part – tail, feet, eyes, wings, etc. (I chose big, round and fuzzy purple ears) – and he would add that part, until we had all made a selection and the board was filled. It was weeks before the staff dared erase our beautiful beast.
He also donated a copy of his famous Cat in the Hat, which I particularly enjoyed, as my mother had been reading me his short stories from her Redbook magazines when she came to visit. His books saved many of us children from many a rainy afternoon.
So heartfelt thanks from a former patient to the good doctors: Dr. Seuss for his works, and Dr. O’Connor for his generosity.
J.D. Mahovlic
Victoria
