Kate Pelham Newcomb facts for kids

Kate Pelham Newcomb (born July 26, 1885 – died May 30, 1956) was a kind doctor in northern Wisconsin. Everyone called her "Dr. Kate". She helped people in places like Boulder Junction and Woodruff, Wisconsin, from the 1930s to the 1950s. In 1954, she became famous because of a TV show called This Is Your Life. This show shared her amazing story of helping to raise money for a new hospital. People collected millions of pennies in what was called the "Million Penny Parade".

Early Life and Education

Kate Pelham was born in July 1885. Her father, Thomas Walter Pelham, was a lawyer in New York City. He later became the president of the Gillette Razor Company. Kate spent her early years in different towns in Kansas, including Wellington.

After her mother passed away, her family moved to Buffalo, New York. Kate finished Public School 19 in 1900. At first, her father did not want her to go to medical school. So, she became a teacher for grade school kids in Buffalo.

But later, her father changed his mind. Kate then joined the University of Buffalo to study medicine. She started medical school in September 1913. In 1917, she earned her M.D. degree. She chose to specialize in helping mothers and babies during childbirth. She also worked at a hospital in New York City. There, she helped deliver about 800 babies at home.

Becoming a Doctor

In December 1917, Dr. Pelham moved to Detroit, Michigan. She worked as an intern and resident at the Woman's Hospital. She worked with other women doctors. They helped mothers and babies, especially those who did not have much support.

During this time, Kate met and married William Ferman Newcomb, who was called Bill. He worked in a car factory. In 1922, Bill became sick with a lung disease. To help him, the couple moved to Boulder Junction in northern Wisconsin. They hoped the fresh air would make him feel better.

At first, Kate stopped practicing medicine to care for her husband. She also felt disappointed with doctors after her first child died during labor.

Returning to Medicine

After almost ten years in northern Wisconsin, Dr. Kate met another doctor named Thomas Torpy. He saw how well Kate had bandaged her young son after a small accident. Dr. Torpy suggested she think about becoming a doctor again.

In late 1931, Dr. Torpy could not reach a patient in a faraway area because of bad weather. He asked Dr. Kate to make the emergency visit for him. This event made her decide to start practicing medicine again. She saw patients in her home. She also held office hours in different town halls. In 1942, she bought a house in Woodruff, Wisconsin. She worked from there for the rest of her career.

Dr. Kate was the only doctor for about 7,000 people. Her work covered many towns, like Manitowish Waters. This meant she traveled hundreds of miles every week. During her career, she delivered between 3,000 and 4,000 babies. People remember her for walking miles in snowshoes to reach patients in remote areas. Her Model T Ford car even had skis on it! Dr. Kate also worked as a public health officer. She helped solve problems like water pollution and making sure milk was safe.

The Million Penny Parade

Dr. Kate's work was hard because there was no hospital nearby. The closest one was more than fifty miles away. Dr. Kate knew that Woodruff needed its own hospital. So, she started raising money to build one.

In 1952, high school students in Woodruff-Arbor Vitae were learning about the number "million" in math class. Many of these students had been delivered by Dr. Kate. They decided to start a penny drive. Their goal was to collect one million pennies to help fund the hospital.

Letters were sent all over the county. Resort owners, business people, and families asked their friends and contacts across the country to send pennies. The Chippewa community at Lac du Flambeau, which Dr. Kate also served, helped too. In just over 100 days, they reached their goal! Pennies arrived from all forty-eight states.

On Memorial Day weekend in 1953, a "Million Penny Parade" was held. It celebrated the students' success. The collected pennies were displayed in the school gym.

National Recognition and Hospital Opening

On March 17, 1954, Dr. Kate's story was featured on the TV show This is Your Life. She was told she was flying to a medical meeting to honor Sir Alexander Fleming. He was a doctor who improved penicillin. But when she arrived, she found out she was the special guest on the popular show!

The host, Ralph Edwards, talked about Dr. Kate's plans to build a hospital. He asked viewers to donate. That week, more than 274 pounds of mail arrived in Woodruff. It contained over 1.3 million more pennies!

The 19-bed Lakeland Memorial Hospital opened in March 1954. Dr. Kate became the chief of staff. A second Penny Parade was held to celebrate. Ninety floats and fifteen marching bands followed Dr. Kate in the parade. About 25,000 people came to watch. In 1956, a book about her life was published. It was called Doctor Kate, Angel on Snowshoes. It became a bestseller.

Later Years and Legacy

In May 1956, Dr. Newcomb fell while leaving a clinic. She passed away on May 30, 1956, at the age of 70. She is buried next to her husband in Boulder Junction.

Dr. Kate is remembered in Wisconsin in many ways. In 1988, the Dr. Kate Newcomb Museum opened. It is located where her office used to be. A large 15-foot penny at the museum remembers the Million Penny Parade.

The Lakeland Memorial Hospital later became the Dr. Kate Convalescent Center. The original hospital building was taken down in 2011. The area was then turned into the "Dr. Kate Park." Her story, "Kate Newcomb: Doctor of the North Woods," was also featured in an animated series.