The University of Texas Health Center at Tyler
"The Camp Fannin Station Hospital, a magnificently equipped installation spreading over several acres in the southeast corner of the military reservation is ready today to care for the health and well-being of the thousands of trainees, other enlisted men, and officers who are making Camp Fannin their temporary home."
"Our hospital is equipped with the best the army has," said Colonel A.A. Johnstone, camp surgeon and commanding officer of the hospital. "Nothing is too good for Uncle Sam's fighting men. Their health is of primary importance, and we are ready to do everything possible to keep Camp Fannin's soldiers in top condition."
(From the Sunday, August 1, 1943, edition of the Sunday Courier-Times-Telegraph, Tyler, TX.)
The University of Texas Health Center at Tyler (UTHCT) has a rich heritage, beginning as Camp Fannin. Officially opened as a U.S. World War II Army Infantry Replacement Training Center in March 1943, Camp Fannin was named in honor of the hero of Goliad, Colonel James Walker Fannin. The first trainees arrived in May 1945 and an estimated 250,000 men were trained for combat here. At the end of the war, Camp Fannin was used as a U.S. Army discharge center. The camp closed in June 1946.
The original hospital housed chapels, laboratories, operating rooms and clinics, pharmacists and dieticians. All the needed hospital services were in one location. Today, UTHCT carries on the same tradition, serving as a center where patients have all their health care needs met under one roof. UTHCT, an academic medical center that is nationally recognized for its biomedical research and its specialization in pulmonary and infectious diseases, is on the site of the original army hospital. UTHCT employees share the same pride as Colonel Johnstone, the original Camp Fannin Hospital director, and feel that nothing is too good for their patients.
Starting in 1998, The Camp Fannin Association and the Camp Fannin Women's Auxiliary joined with UTHCT to construct a permanent memorial honoring all Camp Fannin trainees. The memorial also honors veterans of all branches of service who served in World War II, and recognizes veterans of all wars. In April 2005, more than 60 years after the opening of Camp Fannin, the 60-foot plaza with its life-size statue of a U.S. Army infantry trainee was dedicated. The memorial plaza and park-like surroundings provide an opportunity for veterans and family members to return to pay homage and to remember the sacrifices of our greatest generation.
Contributions for the memorial and an endowment have been received by The Camp Fannin Association and Ladies Auxiliary from local veteran's groups, corporations and foundations, and from individuals in 32 states. In April 2004, the Association funded an endowment, the Camp Fannin Veterans Memorial Endowment, with a donation of $10,000 to UTHCT. The endowment is invested in the Long Term Fund. The proceeds will be used to maintain the memorial area in perpetuity.
From its proud beginnings as a military installation hospital, to service as a state TB sanatorium, to its position today as the only academic medical center in East Texas and one of the leading biomedical research centers in the United States, UTHCT is honored to be the steward of the gifts made in tribute to our nation's military veterans. Endowment proceeds will be used to maintain the Camp Fannin memorial in a manner that continues to bring honor to UTHCT and its historic past.
