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The Ukiah Daily Journal

September 22, 2009

A day of remembrance

By: Carole Brodsky

Memorial at the Russian River Cemetery, September 21, 2009

Over 60 individuals gathered Tuesday at the Russian River Cemetery District for a somber and bittersweet tribute to patients of the former Mendocino State Hospital.

The seventh annual Day of Remembrance, coordinated by the California Memorial Project, is a collaboration of three California agencies for the purpose of restoring dignity to mostly unknown individuals who lived and died in state hospitals and developmental centers - some who were buried and others who were cremated and placed in mass graves.

For Tony Vau, District Superintendent of the cemetery district, the event has a special poignancy. Vau's mother, Betty, worked at the State Hospital for 18 years, beginning in 1957.

"We spent a lot of time there as kids," says Vau. "There were holiday parties, employee picnics, barbecues and even a movie theater."

Vau's father-in-law, Walter Freeman, was the head gardener and tended the hogs, and Vau's father, Charles, was the head butcher for the hospital.

"A lot of people don't realize that the hospital was a self-sustaining farm," Vau said. "They had their own dairy where they made milk, butter and cheese. There were hogs and beef and a vegetable garden."

Vau says that approximately one-third of Ukiahans were employed by the hospital.

This year's ceremony was the largest ever, and representatives from county health and human service agencies as well as non-profit organizations serving mental health consumers and those with disabilities were on hand. Representatives from both state Sen. Pat Wiggins and Assemblyman Wes Chesbro's office were expected to attend but were not present at the event.

The event began at the west side of the cemetery, where 433 individuals are buried in separate plots. The historical site is now marked with a headstone donated by Ukiahan Jack Cox.

A second site holds the remains of 1,660 individuals who were cremated at the State Hospital and transferred to the cemetery upon the hospital's closure in 1972. A memorial bench has been installed honoring the memory of Ukiahan Nicky Fabyunkey, who died in 2008. North Bay Monuments and Mendocino Monuments are donating a headstone for the site. Vau is hoping that the State of California will soon release funds promised for memorial plaques at both locations. Vau notes that local resident Lisa Mammina "really woke me up about this," and once he realized the gravity of the situation, the Cemetery District was quick to support his work to improve the two grave sites.

For those who were patients at the hospital - or for those who had relatives who were patients, the event was an emotional rekindling of a combination of painful memories and gratitude for staff who helped people during times of crisis. Many individuals made the point that state hospitals housed a variety of people, some who had no place to live, some with substance abuse problems, unwanted teens or people who didn't "fit" into society. Treatment modalities seem primitive and even cruel by today's perspective, and the scars that some patients received may never heal.

Dozens spoke of their time at the hospital, or recounted stories from loved ones. Cathy Trevino, who was taken to the hospital by abusive parents as a teenager, remembered walking to the hospital canteen with a friend.

"A car came screeching up and a man was pointing a rifle at my friend," she recalled. Another patient observed the incident and hollered at the gunman. "The other patient was shot," Trevino said. "I never found out what happened. We were never debriefed. I used to wonder if that man was buried here, but now I like to think that maybe he lived."

Trevino, who now has a masters degree in social work, went on to raise her own family. "Not all of us fell back into that system," she said.

Some spoke about the need to bring to light the trauma in developmental centers.

"People on the outside do not understand that at our core we are the same," one person said. Others spoke of caring staff and progress made. "It was just like out here. Good things happened and bad things happened," another explained. Shock treatments, medication and the lack of hugs - many spoke about a culture where the plight of the mentally ill or disabled human being is not discussed. "We need more events like this," said one participant.

The California Memorial Project will continue to restore graves or cemeteries housing institutional patients. They are attempting to document the history of clients and consumers in California, and even more importantly, collecting oral histories of clients who were institutionalized. The Ukiah Methodist Church held a gathering in their Social Hall following the remembrance ceremony.

Sandra Davis of Manzanita Healing Hearts summed up the feelings of the group with a poem.

"We remember you.
Undeserved confinement,
Someone's Grandpa,
Sitting in a chair,
Watching birds sitting in a tree...
Lost, lonely souls,
Souls not as lost as presumed,
Touched by the light of the universe."