Program Extension Becomes Reality . . .
In the early 70's, the State was attempting to
reorganize the various health care facilities, establishing new guidelines and
requirements. Betty and Lester Krueger had been operating the Shelton
Manor Nursing Home for the Elderly five miles south of Shelton on Highway
101. When the nursing home was reclassified as an Intermediate Care
Facility, not enough elderly clients could be found to make continued operations
economically feasible. The owners were forced to put the building up for
sale, and in May 1972, it became part of Exceptional Foresters, Inc.
The ceramics workshop located in the old steel barracks
building. A woodwork shop was located in the back.
The establishment of Exceptional Manor as a home for Developmentally Disabled women was a logical and long-planned extension of the existing men's program. From Exceptional Foresters' inception in 1957, it had been the intent of the Corporation to include women in the program as soon as funding permitted. The Foresters had received assurances from the State that 38 people would be sent from Rainier School and Lakeland Village, so the time seemed appropriate to bring the women into the family.
The first busload of ladies arrived from Rainier
School on June 1, and for the next few days, Exceptional Manor was in a state of
absolute bedlam. The move from Rainier School to Shelton was an
unprecedented disruption in the lives of a majority of the women. Most had
spent the better part of their lives confined to the narrow halls of larger
institutions. They were terrified at being in an unknown environment for
reasons they could not fully comprehend. One young woman was terribly
upset because she was certain her mother on Mercer Island would not know where
she was.
A group of the first women to reside at
Exceptional Manor.
Compounding the confusion was a shortage of experienced staff at the Manor who were familiar with Developmentally Disabled people. Most were either completely new to the job or were people who had stayed on from the nursing home. The upheavals continued as the ladies picked their rooms and roommates, learned where the bathrooms were, and tried to adjust to the new surroundings. Since neither the staff nor the clients knew each other, there was added chaos as identities were sought out.
Eventually, the initial bewilderment subsided and the women settled into their new home. For the next three months they continued on as they had at Rainier in a daily round of meals, TV, and light activities. In short, they vegetated.
On September 1, Marcella Morgus accepted the
position of Assistant Director. True to the work-oriented philosophy of
Exceptional Foresters,
she immediately initiated a workshop program at the
Manor. There was no money available for staff training and very little to
operate an arts and crafts program. Morgus gathered what could be salvaged
from the room and board fund and soon vocational training for the women had
commenced.
For various reasons, difficulties arose in getting a vocational training program for the ladies underway. Most of the residents at the Manor had never taken part in any form of vocational training other than dishwashing or housework. They were used to long idle hours, chatting, and watching TV. It was an arduous task getting them used to a work training cycle, and almost a year passed before the ladies had fully adjusted to the change.
"Gentleman Callers" pay a visit to Exceptional Manor.
Eight or nine of the ladies met each morning at the old Rogers School building to cooperate in the construction of quilts. Under the guidance of a teacher, the women carried out all phases of their project. The remainder of the women worked in a separate outbuilding at the Manor making rugs, pillows, and other forms of stitchery. The ladies continued the arts and crafts program until Exceptional Foresters opened a retail store at the old Prepp's Drugstore building in July 1975. From this facility, the women continued to create and sell items which are as beautiful and well made as any. A second retail store was also in operation at this time on Highway 101 at Sanderson Field. The "Gate House" served as a retail outlet for the wood products and ceramics which were manufactured by the men.
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Chapter 1 -- In The Beginning
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Chapter 2 -- The First Foresters
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Chapter 3 -- Growing Pains
- Chapter 5 -- A New Focus
- Back to Company History