Community Corner
Video: Former Director of Emergency Department Recalls M.V.'s Past
Dr. Michael McCormick discusses the days when Mission Hospital was "the only game in town."
Dr. Michael McCormick first came to Mission Viejo in 1970, when he and his family moved into the Coronado Homes near Saddleback College.
For 24 years, McCormick served as director of the emergency department for Mission Hospital between 1972 and 1996. Now retired, he remembers the time when Orange County's largest hospital had only 123 beds when it first opened.
Having lived around here for more than 40 years, McCormick has certainly seen the town go through tremendous changes.
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He remembers that when the Olympic cycling races came to town in 1984, he watched the Korean cyclists train around his neighborhood, struggling uphill during our unpleasantly warm August summers.
Watch the videos above as McCormick describes Mission Hospital's humble beginnings as well as having to venture far outside of town to do something simple, like going to the movies.
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If you have any stories to share about early Mission Viejo, we would love to have you be a part of our Spotlight series. Just send me an e-mail at averdon@umail.ucsb.edu and we'll be in touch!
