Mayo Clinic Celebrates Heritage Days, Oct. 1–5, 2007

Thursday, September 27, 2007

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic will commemorate its past and culture, and how those elements reinforce what Mayo does today, during its Heritage Days celebration, Oct. 1–5, 2007.

Heritage Days is an annual event that celebrates Mayo's history, recognizes the work of Mayo staff, volunteers and retirees, and acknowledges the community for its support. This year the theme for Heritage Days is "The Pioneering Spirit of Mayo."

More than 100 years ago in Rochester — a town on the edge of America's Great Plains — a family of physicians and their colleagues came together to heal the sick and advance the science of medicine. They were pioneers in every sense, open to new ideas and willing to take risks. Today this pioneering spirit lives on as Mayo Clinic leads the way to a new frontier of genomics, supercomputers and simulators to provide the best care to every patient every day.

Heritage Days events will take place across the Rochester campus throughout the week. This year's highlights include the debut of an original, one-act play about one of Mayo's most influential figures, Maud Mellish Wilson.

"The Mystery of Maud Mellish Wilson," written and performed by Megan Cole, provides an intimate glimpse into the life of a remarkable woman. In the classic spirit of a visionary and entrepreneur, Maud Mellish Wilson achieved more during her 26-year career at Mayo than anyone could have imagined. Among her many accomplishments was the development of the weekly "Proceedings of the Staff Meetings of the Mayo Clinic" which evolved into the internationally recognized Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Free performances of the play are scheduled in Phillips Hall, first floor, Siebens Building for Monday, Oct. 1, noon–12:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 2, 7:30–8 a.m. and 7:30–8 p.m.; and Thursday, Oct. 4, 7:30–8 a.m.

Sister Ellen Whelan, O.S.F. will be available to sign her book The Sisters' Story, Part Two: Saint Marys Hospital – Mayo Clinic, 1939 to 1980 on Oct. 1 and 2 from 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in the Saint Marys Hospital Gift Shop, Joseph Building, street level, and Oct. 2, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., in Mayo Clinic Gift Shop, Gonda Building, subway level.

Special live musical performances are scheduled during ice cream social events, Oct. 4, from 2–4 p.m., in the Edith Graham Mayo Courtyard, of Saint Marys Hospital, and in Annenberg Plaza between the Plummer and Mayo buildings. The Classic Brass Quintet will fill the Edith Graham Mayo Courtyard with music while carillonneur Jeff Daehn and guest performers will perform a special concert on the 56-bell carillon located in the Plummer Building's tower. Daehn's concert will feature music written especially for the carillon.

Midday musical concerts will be held Monday through Friday at several campus locations from 11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m. During the week, commemorative displays featuring Mayo Clinic's significant anniversaries can be found in Hage Atrium, Siebens Building; Francis Tower Lobby, Saint Marys Hospital; Barbara Woodward Lips Atrium, Charlton Building; and the Mathews Grand Lobby, Mayo Building.

Special Heritage Days events will also take place at Assisi Heights on Friday, Oct. 5. Tours of Walnut Hill, former home of Maud Mellish Wilson and Louis B. Wilson, M.D., will be hosted by the Sisters of Saint Francis from 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Tours of Assisi Heights will take place at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. The Rev. Edward Foley, Capuchin, will present "Touching the Body, Healing the Spirit: The Franciscan Charism at Mayo" in the Assisi Heights Auditorium, main level at 2 p.m. The Clare Reflection Space, an interfaith reflection area, will be dedicated at 3:30 p.m.

The public is welcome to participate in the week's festivities. Event listings, features and other information can be found on the Heritage Days Internet Web page, www.mayoclinic.org/heritage-days-rst.

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