Mayo Clinic Flashback: 1930s to 1940s - The Mayo Family as Snowbirds in Arizona

Sharing Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic Flashback: 1930s to 1940s — The Mayo Family as Snowbirds in Arizona

By
Joel Streed

March 16, 2018

Arizona was a favorite destination for the Mayo brothers and their wives, traveling by railroad and an early form of motorhome. Today Mayo Clinic's connection to the desert Southwest is stronger than ever, with a thriving campus in the region the Mayos enjoyed so much.

The Mayo brothers were world travelers, but one of their favorite destinations was the American West — particularly Arizona.

During their retirement years, William J. Mayo, M.D., Charles H. Mayo, M.D., and their wives, Hattie and Alice Mayo, respectively, headed to Tucson, Arizona, when the Minnesota winter set in. The brothers acquired homes near one another in a residential neighborhood. After Dr. Will Mayo's death in 1939, Hattie Mayo purchased a ranch in the rolling countryside. Consistent with their open-door philosophy, the Mayos welcomed relatives and friends in large numbers.

Dr. Charles Mayo had a sign in his office that proclaimed "There's no fun like work," and both brothers enjoyed visiting Arizona medical facilities during their time in the Southwest. The superintendent of one hospital was visibly flustered when she came into the employee kitchen and found Dr. Will Mayo casually chatting with the staff.

Fred Dahle, Dr. Will Mayo's driver, had one of the first home movie cameras and used color film — a rarity at the time — to record the Mayo family's journeys. Excursions in the desert were formal affairs, with men in suits and ties, and women in hats and gloves.

Like many families separated across the miles, the Mayos used the best technology of the day to keep in touch with loved ones. For Christmas 1947, Hattie Mayo made a phonograph recording for her relatives in Minnesota.

Watch the seven-minute Mayo Clinic Heritage Film, "Call of the West: The Mayo Family in Arizona," to see Dahle's home movies and a re-enactment of the snowbound Mayo family in Rochester enjoying Hattie Mayo's warm greetings from Arizona.

HELPFUL LINKS