The year was 1966.
Lyndon B. Johnson was President of the United States. We had yet to set foot on the moon. The Beatles and Elvis Presley were all the rage. And on the Peninsula, the Hampton Coliseum had yet to be built, the area’s first mall, Newmarket North, had not been developed, and Patrick Henry Mall was a pasture (the Yoder Dairy). Christopher Newport was a small commuter college, and Hampton University was still an Institute. Medicare was a new program. Computers filled entire rooms. Cars were big—very big! And TVs (if you had one) were large pieces of furniture in the living room with only three channels broadcasting in black and white.
At Riverside, the venerable Nelson (Lew) St. Clair, Jr. was overseeing the new Riverside Hospital on J. Clyde Morris Blvd. and only beginning to grow it into the nationally-recognized regional healthcare system that it has become today.
And on August 6 of that year, at the then-independent Patrick Henry Hospital, a large home for the aged near Denbigh in Newport News, Ernestine King came to work (after a short break in service) and began 55 years of continuous service. Fifty-five years. Let that sink in. (She’s actually worked here for 57 cumulative years!)
Patrick Henry Hospital was a sprawling series of former wooden military barracks on what had been a US Army base in World War II called Camp Patrick Henry. It housed as many as 380 senior adults at one time. Riverside would acquire it around 1980, change its name a couple of times, and develop a full-fledged continuing care retirement community on the property, called Warwick Forest. While so much has changed in the intervening decades, Ernie King has remained a constant presence in The Gardens at Warwick Forest. She’s worked as a CNA, a Senior CNA, Ward Clerk and today a Unit Secretary.
Throughout it all, Ernie King has displayed remarkable resilience, adaptability, grace, caring and commitment. Think for a moment of all the changes she’s witnessed in the workplace—indeed, in the world.
At a time in life when many individuals have ridden off into the sunset of retirement, Ernie keeps going with incredible energy, relevance and willingness to serve. Guided by her faith, it helps, too, that she has a best friend at work—indeed, they call each other sisters. We would be remiss if we didn’t mention Carolyn Ward, Unit Secretary serving the other half of our large Rehab Center. She would join Ernie at the then Patrick Henry Hospital on October 20, 1969. Together, they’ve logged nearly 107 cumulative years of service to others through the decades here at The Gardens.
Now, that’s #RiversideStrong!
Join us as we celebrate Ernie King’s remarkable milestone of 55 years of continuous service at The Gardens with Riverside Health! This King is truly Riverside Royalty.
