Big Red Dog visits patients and families at the University of Chicago Children's Hospital
Big Red Dog visits patients and families at the University of Chicago Children's Hospital
November 8, 2004
He's friendly, big-hearted and just BIG! Clifford, the beloved children's storybook character and star of the top-rated PBS show, "Clifford The Big Red Dog," will visit patients and families at the University of Chicago Children's Hospital.
When
1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, 2004
Where
University of Chicago Children's Hospital
5839 S. Maryland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637
The bloodhound's visit is in conjunction with the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital's contributing sponsorship of the "Clifford The Big Red Dog" exhibit at the Chicago Children's Museum on Navy Pier. The University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital, which opens this winter, is a $135-million facility that offers state-of-the-art medical care in a family-focused environment for all inpatient pediatric services at the University of Chicago Hospitals.
"Clifford's appearance and other events like this provide a nice distraction from the hospital environment for our patients and their families," said Patricia Manning, director of the Child Life and Family Education Department.
Author and artist Norman Bridwell, who was raised in Kokomo, Ind., created Clifford. He initially wanted to call the bloodhound "Tiny," but his wife, Norma, thought the name was boring. She suggested "Clifford," an imaginary friend from her childhood. Bridwell named Clifford's companion, who adopted the dog, after his daughter Emily Elizabeth. Scholastic published Bridwell's first book, simply called "Clifford The Big Red Dog," in 1963. Today, more than 44 million copies of Bridwell's books are in print.