If you're a Reno history buff like me, I hope you receive one of St. Mary's centennial calendars. The one that arrived in our mail today was a delightful surprise.

Sisters' Hospital opened in 1908, and a new wing, using the name Saint Mary's Hospital, was dedicated in 1912. Have you ever looked at the old buildings on the south side of the hospital and wondered what the place was like originally? Now you can see it in 1912 by looking at the photo for January. I'll let you read the history of all the following expansions for yourself. (Saint Mary's Hospital has been Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center since 1988.)

The calendar is packed with old photos. Each month has a main photo plus three smaller ones showing the story of the hospital's growth from 1908 to the 1990s. But wait, there's more! A centerfold consists of a collage of a hundred or so small photos. They're obviously excited about sharing their history with the community.

I was eager to reach the photos of the 1950s, when Mr. Ann and his family started using the hospital, and the 1970s, when I moved to Reno. Can you believe the first emergency room didn't open until 1972? I was living in an apartment a block from there at the time, and I don't remember that. (The current ER apparently opened in 1979.) Can you believe nurses were still wearing caps in the 1970s?

Our children were born at St. Mary's in the late 1970s, and our family has had its share and more of emergency room visits and surgeries there over the years. I'm afraid there will be many more in our future. No offense to the people at Renown, but we've always felt we've had better care at Saints.

I'll be hanging on to this calendar—you'll have to get your own!