A Look at Our History
This historical information was collected in preparation of the 100th anniversary of Jones Memorial Hospital.
JONES MEMORIAL CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF CARING
WELLSVILLE, NY (January 1, 2021) – This year Jones Memorial Hospital is celebrating our 100th anniversary. So many things have changed since the first patient was admitted on June 27, 1921, but throughout our history the one thing that has remained constant is the support of our community.
Jones Memorial was founded when Gertrude Jones left her home and an endowment to the Village of Wellsville with instructions to open a public hospital within one year. As a village-owned entity, community support was vital from the very beginning when voters had to accept the gift and the $75,000 bond needed to transform the home into a hospital. Of the 202 votes cast on this proposition, 196 were in favor, giving Wellsville, according to the Wellsville Daily Reporter of July 18, 1920, “a hospital that is ready-made and will be the pride of the city for all time.”
Appointed as the first hospital board of managers in 1920, members Lee Fassett, Marian Fisher, Alwin Shaller, Myrtle Bradley, and Frank Wall were charged directing the transformation of the Jones mansion into a modern, up-to-date community hospital. While the duties of the hospital board have expanded, the commitment required of its members is vital to Jones Memorial’s success. Today’s board is responsible for hospital policy and direction, as well as monitoring the quality of services and the financial soundness of the hospital. The board now includes Rich Ewell, Karol Marciano, Samantha Gilkey - a descendent of Gertrude Jones, Dan Johnson, Dr. William A. Coch, Mary Kate Cole, Dr. Robert Gilfert, Daniel Guiney, Ian Jones, James Knapp, and Barry Kulp.
For 100 years, Jones Memorial has been a part of nearly every local family. From births to end of life and everything in between, Jones Memorial has been here, on the corner of Main and Pearl providing the high quality healthcare with a hometown touch.
A LEGACY OF CARING
WELLSVILLE, NY (April 5, 2021) – This year, Jones Memorial Hospital is celebrating 100 Years of Caring. Looking back through our history, there are a handful of names that standout as having had a tremendous impact on community health since the hospital opened in 1921. The descendants of three of these families – Jones, Tullar, and Comstock – continue the tradition of serving the Wellsville community as active members of service clubs. In addition, you can find them on the board at the hospital, the library, and other organizations that impact this community.
The Family of Gertrude Jones
The decedents of hospital founder Gertrude Fassett Jones have continued to be a part of Jones Memorial’s history. While Mrs. Jones had no children, her brother Isaac’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have guarded her legacy by serving on the hospital board of directors, taking care of the tremendous gift “Aunt Gertie” left for the Village of Wellsville and surrounding towns and villages.
“We always knew the hospital here because of Aunt Gertie,” said Samantha Gilkey, great-great-grandniece of Gertrude Jones. “She died in 1920, but she was something of an icon to us growing up.” Mrs. Jones’ family has taken an active role on the hospital board of directors. Her great niece, Cynthia Fassett Gridley, served as chair of the hospital board for several terms, as did Cynthia’s daughter, Sammy.
Mrs. Gilkey and her sister, the late Lee Gridley, chose careers that lent themselves to community involvement. As a nurse, Sammy worked at Jones in obstetrics and later for the Allegany County Health Department. She has served the hospital as chair of the board of directors and is currently serving her second terms on the board. She is also chair of the Jones Memorial Foundation Board. Her sister Lee was a history teacher and very active in several organizations including the Allegany County Planning Board, Genesee River Wilds, Greater Allegany Chamber of Commerce, and the Allegany County Development Advisory Board.
The Tullar Family
When Angie Cobb Tullar donated the entire cost to build a separate maternity annex at Jones Memorial Hospital, she had already established herself as a generous philanthropist. Completed in 1928, the Tullar Maternity Annex was furnished by George and Laura Rosa.
In 1920, Angie set up a scholarship program at Alfred University: the Eugene B. Tullar and Angie Cobb Tullar Scholarship. In her will, she left a property to the Village of Wellsville to be used for athletic purposes – an interest that may have been sparked when her son, Bayard Sr., was a first-string pitcher on the Cornell University baseball team. After his mother passed, Bayard Sr. was instrumental in transforming the property into Tullar Field, home to the first professional baseball team in Wellsville.
Angie Tullar’s grandson, Bayard Tullar Jr., was active on a number of community clubs and organizations and was past president of the Wellsville Lions Club. Many of his philanthropic works were done “behind the scenes” for individuals who needed a helping hand by providing unofficial scholarships to deserving individuals. When the Allegany County Vietnam Veterans were looking to build a quiet get-away for members, Bayard Jr., and Mason Dye, donated a piece of property they owned to the group.
His daughter, Gwyn, also prefers to keep her acts of kindness out of the spotlight. In addition to mentoring individuals and giving them riding lessons, Gwyn and her husband, Rich Shear, helped organize the first RidgeWalk & Run over 25 years ago. The couple has been recognized with the Spirit of Wellsville Award for that and their continuing, hands-on involvement with the event. Every fall, Gwyn and Rich can be found spending endless hours prepping the Jones Memorial Hospital Finish Line property and getting it ready for the hundreds of walkers and runners who attend the event each year. Rich has also served two terms on the hospital board of directors and is presently on the Foundation Board.
The Comstock Family
Dr. Francis E. Comstock, born in Andover in 1860, is credited with admitting the very first patient and performing the first surgery at Jones Memorial Hospital in 1921. He had a private practice at 22 State Street and was the first of three generations of Comstock doctors; his son Edwin Sr. joined the office in 1926 and his grandson Edwin Jr. in 1960.
Community involvement has continued to be important to the Comstock family. Edwin Jr. had two sons and a daughter. Donald Comstock has served on the David A. Howe Public Library board of directors for over 40 years. He is also active in the Rod & Gun Club, and the Elks Club. Two family members, Donald’s wife Jackie and her sister, Ann, are on the Jones Memorial Foundation Board, Ann was married to Edwin III, who died in 2002. Nancy Comstock Mosher, Edwin Jr.’s daughter, is a former member of the Lioness Club, now an active member of the Lions Club and chair of the Diabetes Committee for the club. Nancy’s daughter, Jessica Mosher Strassner has brought the family back into the healthcare field. She is a pediatric and neonatal nurse practitioner at F.F. Thompson Hospital. She also works part-time in the pediatric practices in Wellsville and provides care in the nursery at the Dr. F. Clifton Miller Birthing Center.
“Jones Memorial Hospital would not be celebrating 100 Years of Caring without the support of our community,” said Eva Benedict, CEO at Jones. “These families are an example of how important it is to continue the work that started a century ago. With your support, Jones Memorial will be here for generations to come.”
MATERNITY SERVICES AT JMH
WELLSVILLE, NY (March 1, 2021) – To celebrate 100 Years of Caring, Jones Memorial is turning the spotlight on a department that has been part of the hospital here since the beginning: Maternity Services.
Over 30,000 babies have been born at Jones Memorial in the 100 years since the hospital opened, starting with Eileen Marie Murphy, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Murphy. Eileen was delivered by Dr. F. McCarty on July 1, 1921, just three days after the new hospital opened.
Six years later, local philanthropist Angie Cobb Tullar visited the hospital to see her brand-new grandson. A life-long friend of hospital founder Gertrude Jones, Mrs. Tullar recognized the need for mothers and newborns to be cared for in a space separated from the general patient population. She donated the entire cost - $25,000 - to build a new maternity annex. Completed in 1928 and connected to the hospital on the Pearl Street side, the Tullar Maternity Annex was furnished by George and Laura Rosa, who gave $10,000 to purchase furniture, equipment, and supplies.
As the community grew, babies continued to arrive in ever increasing numbers and the need for a larger facility became obvious. The original hospital was replaced in 1952 by a brand new, state-of-the-art building. The new maternity unit was named the Tullar-Rosa Maternity Pavilion and included a total of 20 beds, two labor rooms, a delivery room, and a nursery with space for 24 newborns.
This maternity unit remained virtually unchanged until 2002, when a $1.2 million renovation program transformed the unit from the traditional labor rooms with separate postpartum rooms, to LDRP suites where expecting mothers are in the same beautiful room throughout labor, deliver, recovery, and postpartum. Each of the new suites has a private bathroom and some have whirlpool or bubble tubs, which have been shown to ease labor pains. Since 2019 – with a brief interruption caused by COVID-19 - laboring mothers have been offered nitrous oxide (laughing gas) as a pain relief option.
The next big step in the history of maternity services at Jones came in 2017, when the unit was renamed the Dr. F. Clifton Miller Birthing Center. A pillar of the medical staff and a busy obstetrician, Dr. Miller delivered 8,400 babies and was on the medical staff at Jones for his entire 44 year career. Shortly after he died unexpectedly in 2015, a campaign to dedicate the birthing center to his memory was started. At the same time, a trust fund was established in Dr. Miller’s memory dedicated to projects and equipment for the care of women and children. For more information about how to support this effort, please contact Foundation Coordinator Jodi Pearson at (585) 596-2053 or email Jodi_Pearson@URMC.Rochester.edu.
As we celebrate 100 years of caring for this community, Jones Memorial Hospital wants to thank our dedicated OB staff – present and past – for providing a warm and welcoming “Wonderful Beginning” for our newest patients and their mothers.
MEDICAL STAFF PAST AND PRESENT
Nearly 100 years ago, Dr. Francis E. Comstock admitted the very first patient to the brand-new Jones Memorial Hospital on July 1, 1921. A general physician with a private practice on State Street in Wellsville for 35 years, Dr. Francis Comstock is also credited with performing the first surgery in the new hospital. He was the first of three generations of Drs. Comstock. His son, Dr. Edwin F. Comstock, was at his bedside when he died suddenly of a heart attack in 1931. Dr. Edwin F. Comstock Jr. was the third Dr. Comstock to see patients at the 22 State Street office when he moved back to Wellsville in 1960.
On June 29, 1929, the first Medical Advisory Board meeting was held. To be on the board, the physicians had to live in Wellsville and be active members of hte medical staff. This group of seven local physicians reported to the hosptial board of managers and was responsible for outlining and controlling medical policies. The original members of the medical board were Dr. G.W. Roos, Dr. F.E. McCarthy, Dr. L.S. Benedict; Dr. F.E. Comstock, Dr. C.L. Gish, Dr. L.E. Tefft, and Dr. H.E. Cooley. From this point forward, a representative of the Medical Advisory Board attended the board of managers meetings.
Today, the active medical staff at Jones Memorial includes physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurse midwives. Representing a wide array of specialties, the medical staff includes Edwin Acosta, MD; Monica Accomb, NP; Zaheer Alam, MD; Ruthanne Ashworth, NP; Paul Axtell, MD; Nancy Berosian, PA-C; Kurt Benham, MD; Gerard Buffo, MD; Andrew Call, MD; Nishant Chaudhary, MD; David Chung, MD; Tera Ciesla, PA-C; William Coch, MD; Steven Collins, MD; Heide Crandall, MD; Orlando Cruz, MD; Richard Cudahy, MD; Christopher Depner, MD; Frank Edwards, MD; Jay Ellie, MD; Mark Elliott, CRNA; Travis Ely, PA-C; Douglas Fuller, CRNA; Keith Gembusia, DO; Robert Gilfert, DPM; Stuart Hanau, MD; Dean Hanna, MD; Yohetsor Ometse Hargoe, NP; Anna Haring, MD; Corazon Hoffman, CRNA; Christopher John, PA-C; Chelsea Jones, PA-C; Zahi Kassas, MD; Theodor Kaufman, MD; Lu-Ann Kaye, MD; Margaret Kent, NP; Asfandyar Khan, MBBS; Kevin Klayman, DO; Neil Kline, DO; Albert Koh, DO; Heather Lanphere, MD; Kathryn Lewis, LCSW; Tareen Loqman, DO; Robert Maiden, PhD; Kathyron Maine, NP; Bulent Mamikoglu, MD; Gary Mann, NP; Kevin McCormick, MD; Jennifer Middaugh, CNM; Cortni Monroe, PA-C; Shannon Mooney, PA-C; Gurumurthaiah V. Nagabhushana, MBBS; Du Nguyen, MD; Jeremy Oosterkamp, CRNA; Niharika Pasumarty, MD; David Pelkowski, MD; Kerime Perese, NP; Pasquale Picco, MD; Wade Porterfield, MD; Bruce Portner, MD; Michael Presutti, PA; David Rayne, MD; Maria Reyes, MD; David Roae, NP; William Roberts, MD PhD; Andres Rubert, MD; James Rummel, DO; Ravi Sahni, MBBS; James Sakr, MD; Calvin Schierer, DO; Nishit Shah, MD; Shachi Shah, MD; Kim Simmons, NP; Ryan K. Smith, PA-C; Neeta Soni, MD; Alex Strassburg, MD; Jessica L. Strassner, NP; Thomas F. Taylor, MD; Robert Ungeheuer, PA-C; William Van Duzer, PA-C; Alison Vogt, MD; John Waide, PA-C; Emily Walsh, PA-C; Matthew Walton, PA-C; Adam C. Wojciechowski, PA-C; Mark Wronecki, PA-C; Gabriel Yacob, MBBCH; Saddam Yasin, MBBS; and Yao Zheng, NP.
Please join us in thanking all our healthcare providers for everything they do for our patients!