Editing Stella, Missouri (section)

==Cardwell Hospital==

===Clarence C. Cardwell===
Despite Stella's small size, for nearly 60 years the Cardwell [[Hospital]], later the Cardwell Memorial [[Osteopathic]] Hospital, attracted people from the largely rural surrounding areas of Newton County, [[Barry County, Missouri|Barry County]] and [[McDonald County, Missouri|McDonald County]] for their [[healthcare]] needs. Cardwell Hospital was opened in 1920 by [[World War I]] [[veteran]] Clarence C. Cardwell, who had been born only two miles outside of Stella in 1892.<ref name="ReferenceA">Newton County Highlights; by Neosho Christian Schools; 2002; Page 75</ref> At first the hospital was only four rooms,<ref name="ReferenceA"/> but later expanded to meet the needs of the local community. By 1930 a second doctor had joined the staff at Cardwell and it had 10 beds available for patients.<ref>Newton County Highlights; by Neosho Christian Schools; 2002; Pages 75 & 76</ref> A fire in 1942 damaged the hospital, but Cardwell quickly had the building rebuilt.<ref name="ReferenceB">Newton County Highlights; by Neosho Christian Schools; 2002; Page 76</ref>  Cardwell continued running the hospital with his wife, Ida Cardwell, and their daughter, Cleta Cardwell, until his death in November 1956.<ref name="ReferenceC">Cassville Republican; Obituaries; November 29, 1956</ref> At the time of his death the Cardwell Hospital was reported to have grown to 100 beds.<ref name="ReferenceC"/>

Following Cardwell's death in November 1956, the Cardwell Hospital was closed for a short time, until it was purchased from Ida and Cleta Cardwell by Silas and Lillian Fountain and reopened on February 11, 1957, as the Cardwell Memorial Osteopathic Hospital.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> The Fountains, a married couple from [[Sulphur Springs, Benton County, Arkansas|Sulphur Springs, Arkansas]], had both graduated from the [[Kansas City College of Osteopathy and Surgery]].<ref name="obitcentral.com">{{cite web | url=http://www.obitcentral.com/obitsearch/obits/mo/mo-jasper157.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040920113430/http://www.obitcentral.com/obitsearch/obits/mo/mo-jasper157.htm | url-status=usurped | archive-date=September 20, 2004 | title=Miscellaneous Jasper County, Missouri Obituaries }}</ref> Their daughter Mary Sue Fountain served as the hospital administrator.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> Following her husband's death on June 29, 1973, Lillian Fountain continued running the hospital until 1977. Lillian Fountain died on October 13, 1996.<ref name="obitcentral.com"/>

===Hospital closure and EPA clean up===
[[File:Cardwell Hospital in Stella, Missouri.jpg|thumb|The former Cardwell Hospital in Stella, Missouri in 2004, shortly before it was torn down and removed because of asbestos contamination.]] 
Cardwell Memorial Osteopathic Hospital closed in 1977, but the building was soon reopened as a [[residential care facility]] owned by Don and Vera Littlefield. But this venture proved short lived and the building was vacant by the mid-1980s.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> After sitting empty for nearly 20 years, the residents of Stella, seeking to revive the town's [[business district]], proposed a plan to convert the empty hospital building into a multipurpose building complex, which would house a clinic, a [[library]], [[city hall]], retail space and residential units.<ref name="tethys.engg.ksu.edu">{{cite web |url=http://tethys.engg.ksu.edu/chsr/tab/tab-sites/cardwell-hospital-site-stella-missouri |title=Cardwell Hospital Site, Stella, Missouri &#124; Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities |access-date=March 20, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130409232929/http://tethys.engg.ksu.edu/chsr/tab/tab-sites/cardwell-hospital-site-stella-missouri |archive-date=April 9, 2013 }}</ref> However, due to considerable [[asbestos]] [[contamination]] at the site, the decision was made to remove the now derelict structure.<ref name="tethys.engg.ksu.edu"/> Because of the nature of the contamination, the [[Environmental Protection Agency]] declared the former Cardwell Hospital building a [[superfund site]] and assisted the town in removing it.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Microsoft Word - LHC-formerStellaCardwellHospital-Final.doc | url=http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha//FormerStellaCardwellHospital/FormerStellaCardwellHospitalLHC052208.pdf | access-date=2024-12-15 | website=www.atsdr.cdc.gov}}</ref> In the summer of 2006, the former Cardwell Hospital was torn down and the site was decontaminated, making it safe for other uses.<ref>Joplin Globe; Hospital being razed; July 26, 2006</ref> Following the removal of the building, the site was redeveloped as the Stella Veterans Memorial Park, which is dedicated to veterans from the Stella area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greenrightnow.com/welcome/2011/06/23/stella-veterans-memorial/ |title=Stella Veterans Memorial » Green Right Now |access-date=March 20, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411020727/http://www.greenrightnow.com/welcome/2011/06/23/stella-veterans-memorial/ |archive-date=April 11, 2013 }}</ref>

===Community of doctors===
During the years of the Cardwell Hospital, especially during Clarence Cardwell's ownership, the town of Stella is thought to have produced more than 30 [[Physician|doctors]] and [[dentists]], most of which are believed to have had experience working in the former Cardwell Hospital during their youth.<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://genealogytrails.com/mo/mcdonald/history_towns/history_towns_stella.html|title=McDonald County, Missouri Genealogy Trails}}</ref>