100 Years Ago This Week: Oct. 4-10

From The Indianapolis News, Tuesday, October 7, 1924: The dedication of James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children today was in commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Hoosier poet’s birth. Ceremonies began with an academic procession of 125 educators, medical, and hospital authorities wearing caps and gowns marching from the Indiana School of Medicine to the dedication site. Following an address by the Riley Memorial Association president, the new hospital was formally presented to the state of Indiana. In accepting it, IU president Dr. William Lowe Bryan acknowledged “the cooperation of thousands of citizens and members of the Riley Memorial Association with the state in this great educational and child saving enterprise.” Later, the large doors of the new hospital were thrown open to hundreds of men, women, and children who thronged through the corridors and rooms of the building.