Pediatric Orthopedic Care in Texas

The hospital became a research house as well as a clinic. Research supported by its Seay Center for Musculoskeletal Research has yielded the TSRH SILO 5.5 spinal system, the TRUE/LOK external fixation system and the first gene associated with idiopathic scoliosis. The Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders evaluates and treats specific learning disorders such as dyslexia. Physicians hold faculty appointments at UT Southwestern Medical School, and the board of trustees includes many Scottish Rite Masons, though Masonic financial support is given on an individual basis.

What the plaque says

Pediatric Orthopedic Care in Texas The effort for pediatric orthopedic care in Dallas began when the Shriners (Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine) organized a board with the idea of creating a system of charity hospitals across the U.S. Samuel P. Cochran, chairman of the board, was interested in developing a locally managed service for children with orthopedic needs in Dallas. In 1921, a group of Masons approached Dallas' first orthopedic surgeon, Dr. William B. Carrell, to help establish a clinic, particularly for children with polio. He opened the Hella Temple Free Clinic, which soon outgrew its capacity. Hella Temple purchased property on Welborn Street and opened Hella Temple Children's Temple in 1923. Masons in Dallas and groups throughout Texas made donations to the hospital. A partnership developed between the Hella Temple Shriners and the Scottish Rite Masons, who purchased the hospital (1926) and renamed it Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children. Dr. Carrell was chief of staff until his death in 1944 and was succeeded by his son, Dr. Brandon Carrell. By the 1950s, the hospital's concentration broadened, allowing for treatment of more children. Departments developed and the hospital took the lead in fields, including learning disorders (particularly dyslexia); spinal disorders; congenital hand disorders; limb lengthening and reconstruction; pediatric orthopedic surgeon education; scoliosis treatment; and clubfoot research. The hospital has also worked with the community through education and humanitarian work. The hospital moved here in 1978 and in 1991, it took the name Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Still led by Texas Masons and fully supported by donations, the facility continues to treat children with a wide range of medical conditions, free of charge. (2008)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Dallas Museum of Art — 1.4 mi
  A city art museum that began as the Dallas Art Association in 1903, grew up in Fair Park, and has stood in the Arts District since 1984 under a forty-foot barrel vault.
• The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza — 1.7 mi
  A plow-company warehouse of 1903, identified by the Warren Commission as the building Oswald fired from, now a museum on its sixth and seventh floors above Dealey Plaza.
• Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park — 2.6 mi
  Dallas's first city park, laid out around Browder's Spring in 1876, now a museum of historic buildings moved here from across North Texas, among them Millermore, a cotton planter's mansion.
• African American Museum, Dallas — 3.4 mi
  Founded in 1974 at Bishop College, a free Fair Park museum holding the Sepia photograph archive, African art and A. Maceo Smith's papers, and the story of the Hall of Negro Life.

More markers nearby

• Parkland Hospital — steps away
• Oaklawn United Methodist Church — 0.5 mi
• The Crossroads — 0.6 mi
• Thomas L. Bradford — 0.6 mi