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Show V Matron retires from school h! ftV : I . - s", ' Sfi scho01 she p ,h,.f six months. ork,n v ars later, sheisf.nally N:ffiime card for the last turning m her tin,e' Maenusson has seen a lot of Mhe school during that cvnw Developmentalist ti. Tr she laughs one of the cbaSwhohasdirectcareof residents. are develop- "ts" she says, instead of lor attendants". "ma Vernon Houston was Dr Lt of the school when "fS in 1954. Then she sf!lrDr Guy A. Richards, (who served as W , A.nt for a transition ?t three months), Dr. and now Superin- Goal of the new department is to help the developmentalists to realize the important part they play - that they are somebody valuable, Mrs. Dixon said. She added Mrs. Magnusson will be missed because of her pleasing personality. "She has been head of the department's Sunshine Committee Com-mittee and I don't know how many hundred flowers and cards she has delivered to the hospital or to the homes of the employees," Mrs. Dixon said, adding "and they were always delivered with a happy smile of encouragement." Mrs. Magnusson will be honored at a dinner and roast by the Developmentalist Department; and will be among employees honored at a retirement program at the school on April 2 at 2 p.m. in the administration conference room. Also honored at that time will be retirees Boyd Durrant, Ethel Woolsey, Arvilla White, Rhea Brown, Boyd Evans, Dora Ferran, Helen Thompson and Reuben Jolley. LlS. Sagers, ana now 3 he said, adding "each have i f new' ideas which have Sted the residents.' Sonals" have been one J of increase, she noted, say.ng Houston was supenn-Jent supenn-Jent the medical department Llted of one registered nurse, j Stimephysidans. Now they Ee, complete medical facility Mrs Magnussen said she worked i with the residents for 14 Is, much of this in the nursery iith the "crib patients. She moved to a supervisory position in Birch Hall in 1968 serine ser-ine there for 12 years before Mining to her present position as Developmentalist Coordinator in 1980, she was named Outstanding Out-standing Employee of the Year in He Mountainland District, after first being chosen for the training school. , . ... Her selection was due to the behavior modification program she began in her building, changing the residence from a stark dormitory to a homelike atmosphere through the addition of curtains, pictures on the tails, and nice dishes at meals instead of metal ones. "These were the lower functioning func-tioning residents, many of whom had behavior problems. Most : required constant supervision," she said, then told how their behavior - changed with the new atmosphere. "We did what people said wouldn't mrk - but it made a big difference in the life of these residents," she MARGE MAGNUSSON said. Mrs. Magnusson said she has also seen the attitude of the community change toward the handicapped, with more acceptance' of the residents now. There is also a change of thinking on "The Hill," (a local name for the training school), as more progrms have been brought in and put into effect to help each resident reach their own potential. Many of the residents have also been placed in nursing and group homes instead of staying at the school. "I've found a lot of satisfaction in working here and in seeing the changes come about," she said. "I'm going to miss the friendships I have made with the people I work with and many of the residents themselves. It has been really fulfilling to see when these youngsters make progress. The progress may be slow in coming but it's real rewarding to see even the tiniest bit of improvement." Mrs. Magnusson said when Mr. Lavis became superintendent, he created a separate department for the Developmentalists (direct care people), and she was placed in charge of eight buildings. In this capacity, she has been in charge of training the specialists over the buildings, and in helping the developmentalists with problems that may come up. "She has helped train these individuals in-dividuals and give them an identity with a department of their own," said Judy Dixon, Professional Consultant over Developmentalists. |