But 49-year-old Claudette's album contains not only ties to her own family history, but as the first baby born in the Miners Memorial Hospital system (now called Appalachian Regional Healthcare), the photo album is also a unique part of eastern Kentucky healthcare history.
Joining the crisp black and white photos of Claudette in various stages of her childhood are nearly 50-year-old newspapers celebrating her birth and first birthday and two congratulatory letters, one to her mother and one to Claudette, written shortly after her birth by the hospital administrator and United Mine Workers President John L. Lewis, a man who pushed for better healthcare for coal miners.
Opening November 12, 1955, the Middlesboro Miners Memorial Hospital was first of 10 UMWA’s Miners Memorial Hospitals to open - the system's hospitals were located in Middlesboro, Harlan, Hazard, McDowell, Whitesburg, Pikeville and South Williamson, Kentucky; Man and Beckley, West Virginia; and Wise, Virginia.
This unique hospital system was a huge success with coal miners and their families offering them modern hospitals and healthcare services in the heart of Appalachia's coal-mining region.
One such coal miner was Claude Barnett of Bell County who took his expectant wife, Dorothy, to the Middlesboro hospital shortly after it opened its doors to patients.
Dorothy was the second patient to be admitted to the hospital and on November 13, 1955, Claudette Lewis Barnett was born, becoming the first child to be born in the ARH system.
To further mark the day in history, Claude Barnett chose “Lewis” for his daughter's middle name out of respect for John L. Lewis.
“When I was growing up, I felt a little embarrassed because Lewis was a boy's name,” Claudette admits. “Now, I think it is unique because of the history that surrounds it.”
The history surrounding her birth has brought Claudette much attention during her lifetime.
To this day, Claudette recalls, as a 19-month-old toddler standing in front of the hospital, crying as the newspaper photographer tried to make her smile by offering her a piece of candy as he snapped her photo for a special one-year anniversary section on the hospital.
In 1976, she once again was prominently featured in a photo titled “The First Baby has First Baby” when her son was born. Two of Claudette's three sons were born at Middlesboro ARH.
She says from time to time, the fact that she was the hospital's first baby resurfaces and learned just last year from a curious co-worker that she not only was the first in Middlesboro, but the entire ARH system of hospitals in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia.
Claudette will once again take her place in ARH history and will surely make the newspapers again, when she joins ARH officials this week during the first of its planned 50th anniversary celebrations in Middlesboro on Friday.
“ARH has such a rich history and tradition of excellence,” says Middlesboro Community CEO Susan Roman. “We are proud that Claudette is still a part of the ARH family and will join us for such a special occasion.”
For the past 12 years, Claudette has worked as a nurse at Middlesboro ARH and currently spends her nights working on the first floor medical surgical unit.
Middlesboro First Floor Nurse Manager Kim Norton, RN, says one would be hard-pressed to find a more dedicated nurse and employee than Claudette.
“She is just wonderful and very dedicated to her patients. As the senior nurse on the C shift, she is always quick to help out the newer nurses and really take them under her wing,” Norton says. “But Claudette is much more than a great nurse, she is a shining example of what all ARH employees should strive to be and of how we are putting the ARH mission to work in our hospitals each day.”
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