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Fall news
Housing Support Specialist Larry Wanucha won second place in the category of Artistic Contribution in this year’s Lilly Reintegration Awards which celebrate the achievements of those living with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. The awards are given by the Center for Reintegration in North Bergen, NJ, a non-profit committed to helping people with mental illnesses pursue a meaningful life through reintegration into the community.
Larry, who regularly tells his story as a public speaker and advocate, has lived with schizophrenia since the 1970’s. As an artist his primary focus is acrylic painting, but he has experimented with watercolor as well. The work is implicitly inspirational because of its beauty and thoughtfulness. Many of you have seen his work at mental health agencies around Toledo, including NAMI of Greater Toledo, Rescue Mental Health Services, Neighborhood Properties Inc. (NPI) and the Thomas Wernert Center. His paintings have also been displayed consistently at local art shows, NPI’s annual dinner in May, and even charitable auctions for NAMI and other groups.
Larry has been featured in newsletters, annual reports and the local daily newspaper, The Blade. His peers look at his work and think to themselves, “He has a mental illness just like me. He has experienced rejection, stigma and isolation just like me. But look what he can do! Maybe I can do something worthwhile.”
Larry and a guest recently attend the Reintegration Awards ceremony and dinner in Indianapolis, Indiana where he was presented with a trophy, inscribed with his name and category and a cash contribution of $2,500 to be donated to a program or agency of his choice, the Toledo state Hospital Cemetery Reclamation Project.
Larry Wanucha receiving Lily Reintegration second place National Award for artistic
contribution. Standing with Mr. Wanucha as award presentors are Ralph Aquila, M.D.
on the left and Mark J. Nagy, Senior Marketing Director, Neuroscience, lily USA,
LLC on the right. The $2500 prize is awarded as a donation. Mr. Wanucha directed
the money to go to the Toledo State Hospital Restoration Project.
toledostatehospitalcemetery.org is produced using WebPlus X2.
Larry Wanucha Takes Second Place in national Lilly Reintegration Awards
We've had wonderful volunteer and donor support from many people and organizations during recent months. Our primary goal during the warmer months of spring, summer and early fall has been to find and raise as many numbered burial markers as possible in the two Toledo State Hospital (TSH) cemeteries. Primarily due to the probing prowess of volunteer Henry Hartford, who had a magic touch when it came to locating buried markers, we were able to raise over 800 markers (out of more than 1,000) in the new cemetery, and around 260 (out of more than 950) in the old cemetery. They ranged from being buried a few inches under ground, to being buried 2 feet under...to the top of the marker.
Many volunteers were on hand to assist with the effort to raise markers. Some were individuals who were moved to action by April's Toledo Blade article, some were students from local high schools, organizations and colleges. All gained an understanding of the importance of this project with each lost soul found. Each member of the TSH Cemetery Reclamation Committee is deeply grateful for all the volunteer help that we received this past season. We will now put away our probes and shovels until spring, when work will resume in the old cemetery.
We have had several emotionally charged moments this year, when newly reunited family members were on hand as the markers of lost loved ones were located, the most recent of which was Troy Myers from Indiana, whose story was covered by 13ABC.
Another accomplishment this summer has been completion of plans for Ohio Historical Society markers for both cemeteries. We anxiously await the day next spring when they will be placed, finally bringing public acknowledgement that these people are important, and this land historic. The Toledo State Hospital Cemetery Reclamation Committee (TSHCRC) greatly appreciates the support of property owners, The University of Toledo Health Science Campus, in overseeing and sponsoring this effort. Work is continuing as we fine-tune plans for a large granite memorial, dedicated to honoring those buried in the oldest of the two Toledo State Hospital cemeteries.
Our web site, new in 2009, has been a great success, thanks to the efforts of Andrew McSweeney and Paul Fletcher, although we're still making improvements to the site. We're also very proud of our new listing on the popular genealogist's web site, www.findagrave.com. Information was found by Bonnie and Kelley Noe through diligent and on-going research of public records. A list of names found by Bonnie and Kelley is published on our ‘In Memory’ page; on Findagrave.com you can find close to 400 names and histories of a few of those buried in the old and new TSH cemeteries. A full listing of names in both cemeteries is available through Northwest Ohio Psychiatric Hospital (NOPH is the newest name for Toledo State Hospital), but can not be published, due to confidentiality restrictions. Individual names and information are available through NOPH to family members only.
Memorial
TOLEDO STATE HOSPITAL OLD CEMETERY
1888-1922
In memory of those persons
whose lives
were challenged by mental illness and physical disability
during a time when these
conditions were largely misunderstood and
treatments were in their infancy and mostly
unexplored.
May we always remember your struggle and your strength, and
may your peace now be
eternal.
The inscription on the proposed memorial for the old cemetery , made possible by contributions from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and a donation of service from National Memorial Stone in Toledo, has been agreed. It will read as follows: