Nothing is more exciting for Emplify Health by Gundersen’s archivist Eileen Severson, MLIS, than being on the hunt for—and uncovering—a historical treasure that provides insight or shines a light on the Gundersen legacy.
After joining Gundersen Health System in 2001, Eileen served as an electronic resources librarian, a lead librarian and then a library services supervisor. Since 2021, Eileen has also served as the organization’s archivist, a position funded by Gundersen Medical Foundation and the Kathleen “Kay” Cimpl Wagner, MLS, Historical Preservation Fund.
Recently, we invited Eileen to share a bit about her role and the unique insights offered by her work.
Q. WHAT ARE THE BEST PARTS OF YOUR JOB?
A. I enjoy digging into our resources and providing the information that best meets the needs of our clinicians, employees, patients and visitors. I learn something new almost every day.
I also enjoy answering questions about the history of Gundersen Clinic and Lutheran Hospital and learning how things have changed over time. I can get lost in the stories. We have many “treasures” in the archives that need to get out there for people to see.
Q. WHAT UNIQUE INSIGHTS HAVE YOU GAINED FROM THIS WORK?
A. I have discovered that our emphasis on education, research and rural health have remained the same over the years. Here are some examples:
Commitment to Education: In 1927, La Crosse Lutheran Hospital, for the first time, offered a preceptorship to fourth-year medical students from the University of Wisconsin Medical School. Jeannette Munro, MD, one of the 1927 graduates, writes of her experiences at Lutheran Hospital with appreciation in the Wisconsin Alumni Quarterly, Winter 1978. Dr. Munro wrote, “It was a first preceptorship—a first for the hospital and a first for us. We were there to get practical training and experience under skilled practitioners, and did we get it!”
Today, we are the Western Academic Campus of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. We train a variety of residents, and many different students rotate through our doors. The legacy of education still lives here.
Commitment to Research: The founder of Gundersen Clinic, Adolf Gundersen, MD, throughout his career presented cases and shared his observations at conferences in Wisconsin and beyond. He published articles on appendicitis, ileus, prostate surgery, pneumonia and spinal anesthesia. He must have influenced his children and their children, as many of the Gundersen family doctors went on to publish research on topics such as general, prostate and cardiothoracic surgery, public health and ophthalmology. Again, the legacy of research remains with the Gundersen Research Institute.
Commitment to Rural Health: Dr. Adolf also provided outreach to rural areas surrounding La Crosse as we do today with clinics in small towns and our support of the Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine (WARM) Program. In an 1894 letter to his brother, Dr. Adolf wrote, “Here I am once more, sitting and waiting for a woman to give birth, this time in the outback of Minnesota.” In 1901, he wrote, “I have just returned from a trip to northwest Minnesota, near Fargo… a doctor wanted me to come out… I had so many patients that there was no time for hunting.”
Q. WHAT ASPECT OF YOUR WORK MAKES YOU MOST PROUD?
A. The emphasis on education, research and excellence in patient care began with our founder, Dr. Adolf Gundersen, and this emphasis is still strongly embedded in our culture. Our history demonstrates an ongoing commitment to meeting the needs of our community and ensuring access to high-quality healthcare close to home.
Honoring and preserving our history
Gundersen Medical Foundation’s funding of the archivist position is made possible thanks to the Kathleen “Kay” Cimpl Wagner, MLS, Historical Preservation Fund and other donor support.
Kay served as Gundersen’s medical library director from 1985-1999. Then, in 2013, she was invited to collaborate with A. Erik Gundersen, MD, on a special project. “Our project was to sort through an off-site storage facility on Muddy Flats with decades worth of accumulation. What we found was a treasure trove of Gundersen history. We spent nearly a year going through every paper, photo and object determining the historical significance to the health system. We also developed policies for proper acceptance for donations so items no longer accumulate in a storage facility,” says Kay.
The project was successful, and in 2015, the Foundation hired Kay as a part-time archivist. She continued to inventory, preserve and catalog items of historical significance to Gundersen until her retirement in 2018. At that time, Kay and her husband, Larry, worked with the Foundation to create the fund that would support future archival positions.
The Foundation, which celebrated its 80th anniversary on Dec. 22, 2024, is proud to celebrate Emplify Health by Gundersen’s legacy and ongoing commitment to excellence in patient care.