How the Bicentennial Created Legionnaires

 

"Mystery Illness Strikes Attendees of the American Legion Conference"
Philadelphia July 21-24

In the summer of 1976, three local men were among the twenty nine who died after attending an American Legion Conference during the Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia. The cause of the deaths was unknown, at the time, and was referred to as "The Legionnaires Disease". By the time the  bacterium was isolated,  and a  cause (the air conditioning) was determined, the name stuck.  

This is  how we came to have a type of pneumonia named for Veterans  - from their stay in an air conditioned hotel during the 1976 Bicentennial.

On July 21, 1976, the American Legion opened its annual three-day convention at The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

More than 2,000 Legionnaires, mostly men, attended the convention. The date and city were chosen to coincide with America's celebration of the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776

Delegated from Bloomsburg American Legion Post 273, including William Baird, posed for a photo before attending the Convention

Three days after the convention ended, Ray Brennen, a 61 year old retired Air Force Captain, died of an apparent heart attack. On July 30th, Frank Aveni, age 60, died, also of an apparent heart attack.

At 4pm on Friday July 30th, Dr Ernest Campbell of Bloomsburg called the regional office of the state health department. In his hospital were three patients he thought may have contracted typhoid at an American Legion Convention. The public nurse told Dr Campbell nothing could be done until Monday, all health offices would be closed for the week-end.

Other Doctors, and Nurses, made calls that week-end. A control nurse in Chambersburg , and doctor at Carlisle, were among those who called the Philadelphia City Health Department. No definitive action was taken.

That Sunday night, Dr. William Ford, Chairman of the infection control committee at Williamsport Hospital reached a state health official at home. He reported that six patients at Williamsport Hospital, all having attended the American Legion Conference, were all hospitalized with similar symptoms. He was told the matter would be looked into first thing Monday morning.

By Monday Morning, 11 conference attendees had died.

All had complained of tiredness, chest pains, congestion, and fever

Within a week, more than 130 people had been hospitalized, and 25 were reported dead.

The third to die was 82 year old Elmer Baird of Bloomsburg. A veteran of World War I, and a former employee for the Delaware and Lackawanna Railroad Co. A photo of his funeral was used in newspapers across the nation.

Elmer L Hafer of Lewisburg, was the 9th recorded death. A veteran of WWII, he was one of the original organizers of the State Police-American Legion youth Week, and former central Vice Commander of the American Legion.

Harold E. Stump, manager of the Milton Legion Club, and Veteran Of WWII, was hospitalized on August . He died on august 14th, the 26th death recorded from the convention, killed by the "unknown legionnaire's disease"

In total, 149 Legionnaires became ill, along with an additional 33 associated with the hotel or area. Of the 182 total cases, 29 were fatal.

It was not until January of the following year that the Legionella bacterium was finally identified and isolated and was found to be breeding in the cooling tower of the hotel's air conditioning system. This finding prompted new regulations worldwide for climate control systems.

The 1976 convention was the first occasion in which a cluster of a particular type of pneumonia cases were determined to be caused by the Legionella pneumophila bacteria, named for the convention where the outbreak occurred. Further research then determined this was not the first outbreak, that this had caused other deaths at least as far back as the 1950s, it had just never before been isolated and named.

Aug. 5, 1976

Mystery Disease Victims

PHILADELPHIA. Aug. 4 —Following is a list of the persons who have died as a result of the mysterious flu‐like disease that affected some visitors to Philadelphia for the state American Legion convention in late July. The names. listed by date of death. were compiled by the State Health Department.

Special to The New York Times

TUESDAY, JULY 27

BRENNAN. Ray, 61, Athens, PA

FRIDAY, JULY 30

AVENI, Frank, 60, Clearfield, Pa.

BAIRD, William, 82, Bloomsburg, Pa.

CHAMBERLAIN, Charles, 48, Chambersburg, Pa.

GROVE. Francis, 70, Tipton. Pa.

SATURDAY, JULY 31

GAGGAGIANI, 78, Republic, Pa.

SUNDAY, AUG, 1

DANISHEFSKY, Charles, 49, McAdoo Pa.

DOLAN, James, 39, Williamstown, Pa.

HAFER, Elmer. 57. Lewisburg, Pa.

HARVEY, Frank, 54, McKeesport, Pa.

REUBEN, Abraham, 82, Donora, Pa.

TUCKER, Marie, 48, Philadelphia.

MONDAY, AUG. 2

BYERLY, Louis, 59. Jeanette. Pa.

TUCKER, Mrs Charles 55, Philadelphia.

HORNACK, Andrew, 47, Monessen, Pa.

KILEY, John Jr., 60. Roslynn, Pa.

RALPH, John, 42, Williamstown, Pa.

SEIDEL, Charles, 82, Reading, Pa.

STRICKER, Frank, 80, Philadelphia

SYKES. James, 78. Pittsburgh.

WALDOW, Ben, 82, Philadelphia.

WILLIAMS, Meade, 53, Edinboro, Pa.

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READ MORE

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See the CDC report here:

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/lmrk053.htm

In early August of 1976, 8 of the 25 who attended from North Central Pa were in isolation at the Williamsport Hospital.

William J. Hartman, 63 - Critical Condition

Charles Buttorf, 46 - hospitalized

John & Arlene Sheleman hospitalized

At Geisinger:

Clifford Gilligeauer

William Pick

Harold "Goose" Stump

At Bloomsburg:

Sam Lee

Sam Morris

David Middleton

At Berwick:

Patric Stemrick

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"A September 1974 convention of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was also held at the very same Bellevue-Stratford Hotel. Out of approximately 1,500 members who attended, 20 developed pneumonia and two died. A later article in The Lancet reported: "Illness [high fever and pneumonia] was significantly associated with attendance at one convention activity held on Monday morning, September 16, 1974, in the grand ballroom of the hotel." Oddly, staff members of the hotel seemed immune to infection and the CDC has yet to discover the reason for this apparent immunity"