Fred C. Hutchinson Collection: Home

Fred C. Hutchinson Collection
A finding aid for the Fred C. Hutchinson Collection

Repository: Pacific Union College
Nelson Memorial Library
One Angwin Avenue
Angwin, CA 94508

Creator: Fred C. Hutchinson (1894-?)
Title: Fred C. Hutchinson Collection
Dates: 1941-1950
Extent: 0.5 linear feet; 1 Hollinger box
Abstract: This collection primarily contains material about Berkeley City Attorney Fred Hutchinson's 1941 publication, Wanderings in a Wheel Chair, about his stay at the St. Helena Sanitarium (later hospital).
Collection number: PUC.MSS.053
Language: English

Biographical Note
Fred Hutchinson was born in Calistoga in 1894, the son of Thomas Brannan Hutchinson, the city attorney for Napa and Calistoga. Fred Hutchinson followed in his father's footsteps and graduated from the University of California Berkeley in 1922 with a degree in law. He married Dorothy Meyer in 1926 and they had two sons. The family remained in Berkeley where Hutchinson practiced law. He served as the city attorney of Berkeley for 28 years, retiring in 1959.

Hutchinson suffered from severe arthritis that eventually confined him to a wheelchair. His health issues first piqued his interest in the programs offered at the St. Helena Sanitarium. During his visits, he wrote humorous letters home, which were published in Wanderings in a Wheel Chair (1941) and Still Being Pushed Around (possibly 1942). He also authored books of family history, a book about Wright's Lake, and another about Berkeley street names. He was known for his sense of humor and easy writing style, as evidenced in the "fan mail" correspondence in this collection.

Scope and Contents
This collection contains copies of Fred Hutchinson's publications, correspondence about his writing, and items relating to the St. Helena Sanitarium (hospital) from the time of his stays (1941 and 1942). The bulk of the correspondence comes from readers who are describing their feelings about Wanderings in a Wheel Chair (1941). Many items in the collection are damaged or acidic due to previously being glued to pages of a scrapbook. The scrapbook pages became extremely brittle and the book itself was damaged and fell apart before arriving in the archives. Removing the remnants of brittle pages from the items was not always successful.
This collection is divided into three series: 1) Correspondence, 2) Publications, and 3) Memorabilia.

Arrangement
The collection is arranged in three series.
Series 1: Correspondence
Series 2: Publications
Series 3: Memorabilia

Restrictions
There are no access restrictions for this collection.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information
Shana Ruggenberg of the PUC Nursing Department found the damaged Hutchinson scrapbook in a Davidian Hall closet and gave it to the archives in March 2016.

Processing Information
Processing and finding aid completed in March 2016 by Katharine Van Arsdale.

Related Material
Hutchinson, Fred C. Wanderings in a Wheel Chair. (1941). Library call number RA 963.H87

Container List

Series 1: Correspondence
Box	Folder	Content
1	1	H.C. Lucas to FCH, March 13, 1941
1	2	Dick to FCH, July 14, 1941
1	3	John S. McVay to FCH, October 6, 1941
1	4	Frank G. Bacon to FCH, October 7, 1941
1	5	Ivy R. Manby to FCH, October 7, 1941
1	6	Scott Tandy to FCH, October 8, 1941
1	7	H.W. Brunk to FCH, October 11, 1941
1	8	Roy A. Weaver to FCH, October 14, 1941
1	9	C. F. Ayer to FCH, October 17, 1941
1	10	J.C. Kubu (?) to FCH, October 21, 1941
1	11	John F. Hassler to FCH, October 23, 1941
1	12	Henry F.J. Knobloch to FCH, October 23, 1941
1	13	Ben W. Brearley to FCH, October 24, 1941
1	14	Irvin S. Cobb to FCH, November 1, 1941
1	15	Kate Smith to FCH, November 5, 1941
1	16	FCH to M.C. Lysinger at the Sanitarium, November 6, 1941
1	17	Ed McCullough to FCH, November 13, 1941
1	18	Jim Plachek to FCH, November 17, 1941
1	19	Merlin L. Neff at Health Magazine to FCH, November 19, 1941
1	20	Percy S. King to FCH, December 9, 1941
1	21	Merlin L. Neff at Health Magazine to FCH, January 5, 1942
1	22	Burton A. King at FCH, January 26, 1942
1	23	H.C. Lucas to FCH, March 4, 1942
1	24	Dr. William P. Byron to FCH, March 10, 1942
1	25	Marsh Maslin to FCH, March 12-23, 1942
1	26	Lillian Gassner to FCH, March 23, 1942
1	27	G.E. "Chick" Wade to FCH, May 25, 1942
1	28	Lawrence Livingston to FCH, March 26, 1942
1	29	Burton A. King to FCH, June 3, 1942
1	30	Gertrude B. Middleton to FCH, February 15, 1943
1	31	R.S. Lorimer to FCH, June 13, 1944
1	32	Paul Christian to FCH, February 8, 1950

Series 2: Publications
Box	Folder	Content
1	33	Wanderings in a Wheel Chair excerpts and order forms, 1941
1	34	Book review of Wanderings in a Wheel Chair, October 1, 1941
1	35	Health Magazine, Vol. IX, No. 4, April 1942
1	36	Health Magazine, Vol. IX, No. 5, May 1942
1	37	Health Magazine, Vol. IX, No. 6, June 1942
1	38	Health Magazine, Vol. IX, No. 7, July 1942
1	39	St. Helena Sanitarium News, Vol. 2, No. 2, October 1941
1	40	St. Helena Sanitarium News, Vol. 2, No. 11, November 1941
1	41	St. Helena Sanitarium News, Vol. 2, No. 12, December 1941
1	42	St. Helena Sanitarium News, Vol. 3, Nos. 1&2, January-February 1942
1	43	St. Helena Sanitarium News, Vol. 3, No. 3, March 1942
1	44	St. Helena Sanitarium News, Vol. 4, No. 1, January 1943
1	45	Johnson, Hal. "Unique Corporation." Berkeley Daily Gazette, January 5, 1942.
1	46	Johnson, Hal. "Bicuspids and Molars." Berkeley Daily Gazette, October 1, 1941.
1	47	Rotary Club of Berkeley. "Rotary Revolutions." October 15, 1941.
1	48	Johnson, Hal. "Hospital Humor." Berkeley Daily Gazette, September 21, 1940.

Series 3: Memorabilia
Box	Folder	Content
1	49	Berkeley Public Library receipt, September 16, 1941
1	50	Hutchinson Family Christmas Cards (blank)
1	51	St. Helena Sanitarium Thanksgiving Menu, 1941
1	52	Poem by Frank G. Bacon, "Hospital Experience."