ST COLETTA OF WISCONSIN, LAST LOOK -THE VIDEO-

This is part two of this feature, about St. Coletta of Wisconsin, featuring the video version tour to the school's campus and viewing the buildings and going inside of them..
In 1951 at aged five I came to St. Coletta when this was still a school for special needs children like myself, and stay here until 1962. (According to what my Mother had said to me way back that when I was at six weeks old I came down sick with the whoofing cough, which did some brain damages that caused me to have trouble to speak while growing up. My Mother said that about two doctors at the time of my illness seriously did not think that I would live through it, She refused to give up and did everything to keep me from dying. The fact shows it here, I lived, and most liking out live those Doctors. Of course, being just an infant child I would have no memory of this illness, only the effects of it growing up) Anyways, I had intense speak therapy at St. Coletta) Now I live a fully normal life and able to speak quite normally.

St. Coletta was founded 100 years ago. Founded in 1904 by the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi- Milwaukee. For decades, the campus provided a home for people with special needs. At its peak, around the late 1970s and early 1980s, about 600 people lived there. The residents included Rosemary Kennedy, the sister of former President John F. Kennedy. Rosemary, who was sent there too, died just recently at the age of 86.
The late Movie Star, Spencer Tracy, who had financed his Nephew, Kevin Tracy, to stay here, which who Kevin and I had hung around as friends and live in the same dorm.

For the last 10 years, St. Coletta has been slowly reducing the population at its main Jefferson campus. Today, only 11 people live there, and the campus buildings are mostly unused.
The large Jefferson campus no longer serves St. Coletta's needs. The organization still provides services to about 400 adult people with special needs, (no longer serve service to children) but those young and older adults now live in smaller homes or apartments that are more integrated into communities throughout southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. St. Coletta plans to keep 500 undeveloped acres it owns on the east side of Jefferson and build a new, smaller headquarters facility there.
Despite the changes, St. Coletta's mission remains the same.
A developer had already plans to buy the historic Jefferson headquarters of St. Coletta of Wisconsin, which has long provided services to disabled people, with plans to create an office park, condominiums and single-family homes.
The Simon Group plans to complete its purchase of the 174-acre property along Highway 18 on Jefferson's eastern edge. .
The development plans call for a 30-acre business park, which would use the historic buildings from the St. Coletta campus. Around 40 acres would be set aside to build condos, with 100 acres used for new single-family homes.

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[desperategirl932]

This is a really beautiful campus. Why did your parents put you there at such a young age? Did you enjoy it? After 11 years, where did you go to school? A public high school? Were people good or abusive to kids?

[wildwestoutlaws]

@desperategirl932

Hi, I had whoofing cough at age, 6 weeks, did some brain damages that caused me to have trouble speaking. Its a special school. They take kids starting at age 6 to when ever, even full grown. I was sent there one month before my 6 birthday. I was so home sick the longest time but got use to it. There were no abusiveness there but Nuns were strict. They did a lot for me, help to teach me to speak well in special training. I came home in 1962, went to local public High school.

[desperategirl932]

@wildwestoutlaws I only ask about abuse because it seemed like back then mental institutions were not well kept, and people within got abused. Mental illness is still difficult today to understand, and there is a lot of suffering because those who are supposedly the professionals don't really understand the struggles so many people have. BUT, it sounds like your experience was positive, and you have lead a good life, so good for you.

[wildwestoutlaws]

@desperategirl932

Most Nuns, mostly the teachers, would good of what they did! and a few, which were known as group mothers and their other duties were not all that great and there were some coldness and they were a bit strict, not all just a small few.

Back then there were about 99% nuns and perhaps two, or three late teachers.

Today there hardy any nuns left and it is run with most all Professionals groups of people and training students from colleges, with State assistants.

[desperategirl932]

@wildwestoutlaws while you were there, did you ever see or talk to Rosemary Kennedy? I don't know if she was there all the years you were, but know she spent some time there. Do you remember anything back then about lobotomy's and if you heard much about it as something that would be a good thing to do? It's sort of sad how the Kennedy's left their daughter and sister there alone to die while they were out living the big life. It's sad enough to have mental illness, but without support it's

[wildwestoutlaws]

@desperategirl932

Yes Rosemary Kennedy was there, I think before I came and yet, long after I left.

I was very young and at that time only knew she was treated special. I had see her often and must have talked to her a few times. They have a ranch house built with Kennedy's money just for her about a mile from the campus and either two nurses, or nuns took care of her.

Rosemary came on campus often, where she come for the Saturday afternoon movies in our aud, special church service and events.

[ringwormz]

Thanks for the video. I first heard of this place cause of the intrest in Rosemary Kennedy. Your video was a great addition to my interesting thought s about her stay there.

[3952Mom]

What a wonderful video. I was looking for St. Coletta because I have been researching my family and found out I had an Aunt that I never met that grew up and from what I understand died at St. Coletta. Her name was Dorothy Jones. The only history I can find so far is that she was still at home, age 8 during the 1930 census. Did you ever meet a Dorothy Jones?

[desperategirl932]

But I'm also sure that it's not a very easy job, and very low pay back then to do the job they did. People who for others is a huge responsibility when the other person does not think the same as most. I had/have a cousin who was labeled retarded when she was young, but she married and had kids at a very young age. It always sort of surprised me because her mind was like a child's mind. Not really sure what ever happened to her or her kids.

[desperategirl932]

Nothing against nuns, but I'm glad it's run today by professionals. I'm not sure what the job is of a nun, but unless they've had training in mental illness, it makes no sense that they would be the ones to run a school. I know whether a person is or isn't a nun that everyone is made up of different personalities, so I understand why some would be more strict than others, but those who were really mean or strict most likely had their own mental issues.