To the editor,

As a native of South St. Joseph Avenue of the Fourth Ward of Niles, I am fortunate to return to Niles periodically, sometimes just passing through, sometimes for special events such as a high school class reunion or luncheon.

My grade school and the high school no longer exist as a facility, and our graduating class is diminishing in size, but our class historian recently told me that even though we were a small graduating class after World War II, we had a motto, “the class with class,” and that has remained. I take our historian’s word for it.

In walking to high school, I could cross the river at Broadway, but the wood planks forming the pedestrian way on the old bridge were frequently rotted away, with portions missing, and one could look down and see the river flowing beneath. Not real exciting to me.

Or, I could use the concrete Main Street bridge, which was my preference. It also had an advantage — if one had a few coins in his or her pocket — of stopping on the way home at one of the downtown sweet shops for a “Green River” or a “Chocolate Coke.”

I have walked St. Joseph Avenue many times over many years, so you can imagine my recent surprise when on North St. Joseph

Avenue, I discovered this large, multi-story building glaring at me from across the hospital. I am told it is a clinic. I asked friends why this concept of a building was permitted there, in seeming disregard of the area, and of the historic character of the City of Niles? No answer.

In my continuing discussions with friends (hopefully they still are), I was told the hospital is now known as Lakeland — no more Pawating. That started my few remaining memory cells working.

I mentioned that most people in the area knew where Pawating Hospital was. Do they ask for what city when Lakeland is mentioned? No answers.

From written documents and oral tradition, it is stated that a large mansion and its property on the bank of the St. Joseph River and on North Grant Avenue was acquired through many donations in the mid-‘20s as a gift to the City of Niles for its hospital, and it was known as “Pa-wa-ting” (“the crossing”) from the beginning.

Perhaps some of the citizens or former citizens of Niles can elaborate on this gift.

Is it possible that the board at Lakeland can consider returning its name to Pawating?

Dale Wiars

Three Rivers

wiardm@frontier.com