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History

 The Beginning of the International Red Cross Movement

 

Henri Durant

 The development of international humanitarian law, the branch of international law that encompasses both humanitarian principles and international treaties that seek to save lives and alleviate suffering of both combatants and non-combatants during armed conflicts, coincides with the creation of the International Red Cross Movement in Switzerland in the mid-19th century. Compelled by the suffering of thousands of wounded and dying soldiers he had witnessed on an Italian battlefield in 1859, Henri Dunant, a Swiss businessman, called for the establishment of civilian volunteer relief corps to care for the wounded in battle. Four years later, the Geneva Society for Public Welfare took up Dunant’s cause and created a committee, which became known as the International Committee of the Red Cross. In 1864, this Committee brought together representatives from 16 European states who adopted the first Geneva Convention, a treaty designed to safeguard both combatant and non-combatant war victims.

Clara Barton and the American Red Cross

 

Clara Barton

 Clarissa Harlowe Barton, one of America’s first and most prominent humanitarians, is accredited with founding the American Red Cross in 1881. Selfless, dedicated, and courageous, Barton worked effortlessly on the battlefield during the Civil War offering medical relief, hope, and comfort to wounded soldiers. Her dedication to providing service to others, however, continued long after the war ended.  In 1869, while traveling in Europe, she learned of the Red Cross Movement and Dunant’s efforts to aid the sick and wounded during wartime. Inspired by her experiences in Europe, Barton returned to America and eventually established the first chapter of the American Red Cross in Dansville, New York in 1881. The organization, chartered by Congress in 1900 and again in 1905, dedicated itself to disaster relief for the first 20 years of its existence. Throughout Barton’s tenure, however, the organization provided assistance to a wide range of persons in need, including victims of political unrest in foreign countries, American military personnel, prisoners of war and refugees. 

The American Red Cross, Greater Buffalo Chapter

 The American Red Cross, Greater Buffalo Chapter traces its roots back to June 14, 1909 when a small group of people met in the Ansley Wilcox home (now the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site) on Delaware Avenue to found the Charitable Organization Society of Buffalo. This organization became affiliated with the American Red Cross, and, in July 1916 under the guidance of Mabel Wilcox, the Buffalo Chapter of the American Red Cross was formed. The world was embroiled in war when the Greater Buffalo Chapter was established. Relief services were in high demand. The chapter was instrumental in organizing programs to aid those in need, including, among the most significant, the establishment of a Red Cross base hospital in Lorraine, France that provided medical service to over 15,000 wounded soldiers. Back home, volunteers also made surgical dressings and knitted garments to keep soldiers warm. In 1918, the Motor Corp, which consisted of four trucks, three ambulances, a touring car and the private autos of 450 volunteers, combined to fill the chapter’s transportation needs. The chapter grew considerably during World War I. By the end of the war, it had raised over $1 million in revenues and membership topped 154,000.

 The chapter remained active even after the war ended. Peacetime proved itself to be an equally busy time for the Red Cross. In addition to the services it provided to those returning home from the war, it also provided various services to Western New York residents, including swimming instruction, water safety, lifeguard training, and home hygiene. In the 1930s, chapter nurses assisted Buffalo area physicians with delivering babies when maternity cases hit a record high.

The 1940s:  A New Era and a New Home for the Greater Buffalo Chapter

In June 1941, the Greater Buffalo Chapter moved to its current site at 786 Delaware Avenue. The Clement House, an impressive twenty-room house designed in the English Tudor style by the late Buffalo architect E.B. Green, was donated by Carolyn Tripp Clement to serve as the chapter’s headquarters. The site was officially dedicated in October 1941 and became the home to all charitable operations, including Emergency Services, Services to Military Families and Veterans, and Health and Safety Services. 

Meanwhile, Europe found itself embroiled in yet another world war. American involvement was imminent. As a result, blood donor facilities were established at Buffalo General Hospital in the summer of 1941 under the direction of the Chapter’s Chairman Lewis G. Harriman. 

As anticipated, the United States entered World War II six months later.

World War II

As World War II continued, the Buffalo Chapter began four of its most active years. It was during this period that the chapter’s blood program, considered one of the most complete blood centers in the country, moved to its new center in Ellicott Square. Together, Red Cross volunteers, including canteen workers, Gray Ladies, nurses’ aides, Motor Corps drivers, production workers and staff aides contributed more than 4 million volunteer hours during the war. Additionally, the chapter trained 95,131 people in health and education, and collected over $5.9 million for international, national and local chapter programs. The Home Service Department also assisted over 70,000 returning servicemen and their families. For its outstanding service to the community during the war, the chapter was designated Buffalo’s official disaster relief agency by the city’s mayor.

Following the war, the chapter switched back to peacetime mode, and returned to providing home nursing, first aid and water safety courses to residents of the community. 

The 1950s and 1960s:  A Period of Growth and Change

These two decades were also a busy time for the chapter. Three events during the 1950s led to a drastic increase in the need for blood donors. The first, the outbreak of the Korean War, brought about the need for a steady supply of blood to be available to servicemen injured on the front lines. The second, the discovery that gamma globulin could ward off the debilitating effects of polio, also prompted a call for more blood donors. Lastly, the recent development of open-heart surgery made it crucial for the local blood bank to maintain sufficient levels of blood.

Various local disasters throughout these two decades also kept the chapter busy. Red Cross staff and volunteers were dispatched to the site of the Lucidol explosion in 1953, the site of a fire at Cleveland Hill School in 1954, and several flood sites, including Smokes Creek in 1959 and Sunset Bay in 1963. 

The 1960s also saw the beginning of the Vietnam War, an event that triggered increased local support for the chapter’s Service to Military Families program. The chapter’s Youth Services sent friendship boxes to Vietnamese families and its Messages from Home program kept servicemen in touch with their families. 

The 1970s:  A “Whirlwind” Decade

One of the most eventful and perhaps most memorable decades in the chapter’s history, the 1970s literally “whirled in” with a bang in 1972 when the effects of Tropical Storm Agnes hit the region’s southern tier and caused severe flooding. Chapter staff and volunteers were immediately dispatched to the region and remained there for several months, aiding victims with a variety of emergency needs.

Then, just five years later, the Blizzard of 1977 hit Western New York. The blizzard was a defining moment in the chapter’s history. A total of 500 staff members and volunteers responded to the needs of the community by opening approximately 86 emergency shelters in the city and surrounding areas. Using snowmobiles and four-wheel drive vehicles, Red Cross staff and volunteers moved around the city, providing food, clothing, household items, and temporary lodging to those in need.  The chapter also played host to 300 members of the U.S. Army from Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, who had been sent to the region to aid in clearing and opening up the city’s streets and highways. The chapter’s services were crucial during the infamous blizzard; without them, the city would have been paralyzed. Eight years later, the chapter was called into action when another major blizzard struck. Once again, the chapter lent its support to the community by providing crucial emergency services to those in need. 

The 1970s were an exciting time in the chapter’s history because it was during this decade that the chapter’s state-of-the-art Blood Donation Center opened next to the chapter’s headquarters. The Blood Center, paid for by individual and corporate contributions, was the first new building to be erected in the Delaware Preservation District. The center housed the laboratory, blood donor room, and related departments. Subsequent to 1979, satellite units were also opened in several surrounding suburban areas. 

The 1980s:  A New Era, A New Concern

The 1980s ushered in a new era that brought with it new health concerns for the chapter. Up until this point, the American public was largely uneducated and uninformed about the HIV/AIDS virus. The 1980s changed all of this. The attention the virus received throughout the decade had a huge impact on both the local and national blood banking communities. With the Red Cross providing more than half of the country’s blood supply, it was critical that new blood tests and safer screening methods be developed to ensure a safe blood supply. Through its Health and Safety Office, the chapter began an extensive program to educate the public about the HIV/AIDS virus. To this day, the Red Cross remains dedicated to educating the public about the virus, with the hope that one day the deadly disease will be eradicated.      

The 1990s:  The Chapter Gets a Face Lift

The Red Cross’s commitment to educating the public about the HIV/AIDS virus continued well into the 1990s. The chapter’s commitment to serving the community, however, did not stop with HIV/AIDS education. In 1997, the chapter launched a $4.5 million dollar campaign called “Building a Future, Grounded in Trust.” With the chapter’s headquarters in desperate need of a makeover, $1.5 million was dedicated to renovations, repairs and mechanical system upgrades within the Clement House. During the following year, volunteers and staff temporarily vacated the building while extensive improvements were completed. The Clement House was then rededicated as the chapter’s headquarters on October 30, 1999 in front of a public audience. Another $1.5 million was put in a chapter reserve, ensuring the Red Cross’s future for generations to come.   

The chapter’s Health and Safety Office during this decade also played a significant role in developing new workplace safety programs that taught both employers and employees how to prevent accidents and how to respond to them when they are unavoidable. Since the development of these programs, several thousand workers have received on-the-job Red Cross training and certification. 

The 2000s:  Still Going Strong

Nearly 117 years later, the Red Cross is still just as busy and dedicated to serving the community as it was when the organization was founded. And thus far, the decade has provided no shortage of opportunity for the Red Cross to continue its services.

The chapter was called into action in November 2000 when a major snow storm hit the Buffalo area, blanketing it in nearly 3 feet of lake effect snow in less than 24 hours. The storm, which hit during mid-afternoon rush hour two days before Thanksgiving, could not have come at a worse time. It left countless people stranded in their cars, at their offices and at schools. The chapter also provided food and medicine to those stranded in their homes and at the shelters. 

Less than one year later, on September 11, 2001, tragedy struck the country. The Red Cross was called into action again, this time for what was to become one of the chapter’s most massive disaster relief efforts ever. The September 11th terrorist attacks left thousands of innocent dead and injured, and left the City of New York immobilized. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Red Cross staff and volunteers from around the country were immediately dispatched to the city to assist with the disaster victims. Locally, the chapter sent more than 50 volunteers to Ground Zero, providing mental health counseling for relief workers, as well as emergency medical services to the injured. With over $1 billion raised nationally, staff and volunteers served over 14 million meals, provided shelter for more than 3,000 and spent approximately $615 million on financial assistance for victims of the attacks. September 11, 2001, a date that has become infamous for Americans all over the country, has also become a significant date in the chapter’s history. The events of that unforgettable day were a reminder to the chapter of how important it is for the community to be prepared for unexpected disasters. Shortly after the terrorist attacks, the chapter joined in launching the Red Cross’s “Together We Prepare” campaign, which was designed to bring peace of mind to communities across America.  The campaign provides community members with five simple, proactive steps they can take to better prepare themselves for the unexpected. These steps include making a plan, building a kit, getting trained, volunteering, and giving blood.

The chapter has also spent the last few years developing community programs and courses, ranging from babysitting, lifesaving skills, and pet first aid. Most recently, the chapter, in an effort to target older adults in the community, has developed a program called “Lifeline to Independence for the Community” (“LIFE”). This is a program that uses teens and adult volunteers to help people over the age of 60 live independently and safely in their homes. A similar program, called “The I’m OK” program is a way for older individuals who live alone to know that someone is looking out for them. And lastly, the Ombudsman Program provides advocacy services for those living in long-term-care facilities. These three programs are designed to specifically help the local senior population lead safer, healthier, and happier lives.

After more than 100 hundred years, the Red Cross is still going strong. Now one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the world, the Red Cross remains committed to serving the public as it launches into the new millennium.  

THE CLEMENT HOUSE

Buffalo's E.B. Green Residential Masterpiece

Commissioned by the late Stephen Merrell Clement, then president of the Marine National Bank, the Clement House was built in 1912 at a cost of $300,000.  Prominent Buffalo architect E.B. Green, designer of both the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, and the Buffalo Savings Bank, stated, "Next to the Albright home, the Clement House is the most extravagant home I ever built."

Standing at 786 Delaware Avenue, in as section of the city once known as "millionaires' row," the house reflects a period of great growth and prosperity in Buffalo's history.  Unfortunately, Clement never lived in the home that he envisioned and commissioned.  After his death in 1913, the house was occupied by his widow, Carolyn Tripp Clement, the six Clement children, and eventually later generations of family.

The exterior of the house is constructed of grey Medina sandstone in English Tudor style.  Indiana limestone walls and Italian marble baseboards, archways, floors and mantles are just a few of the unique interior design features.

There is also a great circular limestone staircase, as well as a copper line elevator, the first of its kind in a Buffalo residence, and still in use today.

There are 20 rooms in the house.  The front wardrobe room, which is oak paneled from floor to ceiling, was used to store guests' wraps.  The room that lies between the wardrobe room and the music room was the reception room, also called the morning room.  The window in the morning room that faces Delaware Avenue has exquisite carvings in the arch frames.  The designs are centered by medallions of figures from Greek mythology, and Corinthian crown the pillars at either side of the archway.  Originally painted pink, medallions in a band of cream-colored carving circle the room at the ceiling molding.  Daisy medallions form the ends of the top mantelpiece, while the sides are of a graduated column of white marble.

If any one room is indicative of the house and its former owner's life and tastes, it would be the music room.  Measuring 52 by 20 feet and rising two and a half stories, it was the very heart and soul of the Clement family's life.  The original walls are paneled in the finest hand-rubbed oak, and the floor is a blend of light and dark wood parquet blocks.  Above the huge fireplace is a mantelpiece of sculptured marble.  The chandelier and wall sconces are hand-cast German silver.  The room's contents reflected family interests with two grand pianos, a harp and a full-scale pipe organ.  A magnificent portrait of Carolyn Tripp Clement, painted by Cecilia Beaux in 1910, still hangs in the room.

A secret door is cleverly concealed in the wood panels of the music room wall.  This is an entrance to the former organ chamber, which leads to a movable bookcase in the walnut paneled library.  The library leads to a conservatory breakfast room, which at one time opened onto a sheltered terrace.  Marble benches and flowering plants from the Clement's country home in East Aurora adorned this outdoor space, which also featured an exquisite water fountain.

At the far end of the hallway is the dining room, which features modern, indirect lighting to enhance the geometric patterned ceiling.  A six-window bay faces onto the former brick terrace and gardens.

At the end of the hallway and to the right are the large kitchen, servants' dining room and butler's pantry.  A walk-in safe once stored the family's silver.

The second floor circular hallway leads to the family's bedrooms.  The master bedroom, facing Delaware Avenue, contains a beautiful mantle and fireplace that had been in the living room of the original Clement home at 737 Delaware Avenue.  The Clements were married in front of this fireplace in 1884.

Beyond the master bedroom and to the left are the steps that lead to the "boys; suite."  The rest of the second floor contains spacious bedrooms, which include sitting areas and bathrooms furnished with marble fixtures.  The third floor was primarily quarters for the household staff.

In 1941 Caroline Tripp Clement donated the house to the Greater Buffalo Chapter opf the American Red Cross.  In an interview Mrs. Clement said, "I shall be amply rewarded through knowing that my home will be used by the American Red Cross ... There is no other organization to which I would rather give it ... it serves day in and day out in times of war as well as in times of peace."

Over time, the once exquisite house fell into need of repair.  While embarking on major renovations after running a highly successful capital campaign, the American Red Cross preserved important historic elements of the house while enabling it to serve as a functional working environment for hundreds of local volunteers and staff.  Upon completion of the restoration, the Clement House was rededicated in October 1999 as the headquarters of the American Red Cross, Greater Buffalo Chapter.