It begins like this...
"The Philadelphia State Hospital, an institution located in the Byberry region 10 miles north of Philadelphia's city center, housed thousands of mental patients from 1906 through 1990."
Already I can tell this is going to be my favorite kind of Christmas story!
"Byberry was nothing more than a warehouse for those who were kept there, where they lived under horrible and abusive conditions."
Reminds you of the manger where the Baby Jesus was born, doesn't it?
"Conditions at Byberry had improved somewhat by the 1970s when I originated an annual Christmas event involving patients from the institution.
In Oklahoma, where I'm from, our mental institution had an annual Christmas event, too. It was called a riot and it usually lasted right through the New Year or until they ran out of tapioca pudding. Whichever came first.
As community relations manager for the Prudential Insurance Company's large branch in nearby Horsham, Penn., I recruited a crew of 100 employee volunteers to participate in the event."
You know, if I ran an insurance company I think I would want to target the crazy community of mentals, too. What a great opportunity for sales!
"We invited officials to bring two busloads of patients to our office building on a night just before Christmas break."
And the story just gets better from there! All I can say is that I wish I did run an insurance company because I would want to hire this person. This is exactly the kind of thing I would want my community relations manager to arrange. Not one, but two busloads of people from the local snake pit busting into my office on Christmas Eve.
You should read the rest of the story. It will warm all of your hearts!
Merry Christmas, one and all!Even the crazies!
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