March 15 – Middletown 366

1954

Vigorous Critic of A. M. A.

Veterans’ Hospital Care Defended by Legion’s National Chief.

Old Point Comfort, Va., March 15 (AP)– The national commander of the American Legion has attacked the American Medical Association for its official stand on veterans’ hospitalization and said he is “troubled” that the A. M. A. “should declare war on sick people.”

Arthur J. Connell of Middletown, Conn., spoke at the concluding session of the 2-day spring conference of the Virginia department of the American Legion at the Hotel Chamberlain here.

“In recent months the A. M. A.’s chief spokesmen have been telling the country that the veterans’ hospital program is a big mistake, that it is leading to socialism and worse, that the only solution lies in denying hospital care to patients who cannot prove that their disability is directly related to war service,” said Connell.

Connell said 5,000 patients in thirty-six VA hospitals were questions and less then 2 percent showed the slightest indication of being able to afford private hospitalization.

From the Kansas City Times (Kansas City, Missouri), Tuesday, March 16, 1954.

1965

Main Street Civil Rights March

Over 400 protesters marched on Middletown’s Main Street to stir attention about the Civil Rights Movement in Middletown, Connecticut. This demonstration was preceded by a three-day conference at Wesleyan University, wherein members of the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Northern Student Movement gathered together along with hundred Middletown citizens.

Story contributed by Kimberly Singh.