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Cragmor Sanatorium

Frank Verba - Patient

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Patients A Story of Hope
Carrie Parsell was a seventeen year old girl when she was admitted to Cragmor and for seven long years, as the white plaque destroyed her, that is where she remained. Dr. Forster wrote that her eyes held the only spark left in her. Even so, Carrie never complained or asked what the expected outcome would be. Many would have given up, but Carrie soldiered on and eventually began to recover. She brought new hope to those at Cragmor and Dr. Forster thought she was the finest example of heroism and carried her name around for many years, hoping in encourage other patients.

Cragmor’s Prohibition Hero
Harry Voyles was a member of Chicago’s notorious Purple gang and made his name through money-making schemes in saloons, but eventually found his way into the bootlegging business. While other gang members were fighting off mobs and the police, Voyles was fighting off tuberculosis and found a new home at Cragmor. It was believed that Voyles had a private aircraft stationed just down the road from Cragmor, which flew in some of the best whisky and rum. His bootlegged booze reached far and near, but didn’t reach the hands of Cragmor’s “commoners” all while keeping his business and private life a tightly guarded secret.

The Patented Patient
Frank Verba came to Cragmor in 1914 with laryngeal tuberculosis, searching for a cure. Dr. Forster recommended that Verba use Dr. Josef Sorgo’s laryngoscope invention to concrete the sun’s rays down Verba’s throat and directly to the larynx. Frank was an engineer and administered his skills to improving the instrument since he believed it was a key factor in his own recovery. After consulting with other physicians, Frank added improvements to the instrument in the form of a concave mirror, a U-shaped clamp for hands free use, and an aluminum/magnesium alloy that produced the highest concentration of UV rays. He patented the new and improved Therapeutic Solar Laryngoscope in 1916, which sold locally and nationally, but by his death in 1933, he was working at a razor blade factory suggesting the Depression impacted his sells.

The Financial Wizard
Henry Chase Stone joined the Cragmor family when he contracted intestinal tuberculosis right after graduating from Cornell University. During his ten year stay at Cragmor, Stone went through a couple hobbies before finding his passion. He began with leather tooling, then directed a private airplane rental at the airfield down the road, and eventually gained interest in the brokerage business. His “hobby” became a very lucrative enterprise. His smile and financial advice was well received among his follow patients and Mr. Stone became one of Cragmor’s most wealthy patients. When Chase left Cragmor, he became one of Colorado Springs’ most successful financial leaders and midtown builders. In 1951 he became the president of the First National Bank. After his death in 1966, he was listed alongside names such as William J. Palmer as being one of the communities most productive, wealthy and influential citizens.

The “Unofficial” architect
Arthur Billing was the son of an Engligh Bishop, went to school at Cambridge to study drafting, but left it all behind to travel the world. Somewhere along his travels he befriended Joseph Pulitzer, who promoted Billing from messenger to his private secretary. Arthur was even given a portion of Pulitzer’s World newspaper, the chance to build Pulitzer’s yacht in Scotland and a soundproof room in New York.

When he was admitted into Cragmor it took Forster six weeks and twenty-four long months to first dry Billing out from his unusual “talent” of being able to drink large amounts of liquor without showing any signs of impairment, and secondly to cure him of tuberculosis. Billing’s recovery from both issues can be credited to his devotion to Forster’s medical advice and perhaps their close bond that was formed after having nightly chats which consisted mostly of Billing’s exotic travel stories.

Once cured, he stayed in Colorado Springs and used his draft skills to help Thomas MacLaren build the Main Building for Cragmor and became the “unofficial” architect for the interior design. Two years later, he died from injuries he received in a car accident.

These names are just a few in Cragmor’s prominent history as it became home to many different patients with an assortment of backgrounds. Among those housed at Cragmor were a General motors manager, attorneys, ship builders, farmers/ranchers, opera singers and even international merchants and a Russian dancer. Of course being the sanatorium for the upper-class, Cragmor was not without its famous patients. Those include a Broadway actress Laura Jones (aka Laura la Tille), two other accomplished actresses, Ruth Draper and Cornelia Skinner, one of America’s most prominent comedic composers Vincent Youmans, a talented novelist Robert McClure, renowned painter Robert Reid, prolific inventor Ira Weaver, Joseph Pulitzer’s daughter Constance.