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Talarico Day a day of recalling fond memories

Former Castlegar hospital head administrator Ken Talarico was celebrated on Sept 20 with a ceremony at the building which bears his name: Talarico Place. Talarico passed away in 1999 after over 30 years working with the Castlegar hospital as an administrator.
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Cindy Talarico

Former Castlegar hospital head administrator Ken Talarico was celebrated on Sept 20 with a ceremony at the building which bears his name: Talarico Place. Talarico passed away in 1999 after over 30 years working with the Castlegar hospital as an administrator.

The ceremony featured several speakers who talked about all the great contributions Talarico made to the Castlegar hospital and health centre.

"We had about 150 people there. It was awesome," said Brenda Eaton, former hospital employee and event organizer. "Everybody who was anybody in health care was there. We had three mayors. Lots of former staff from every department you could imagine. There was lots of laughs and hugs and kisses and tears. It was a big family reunion - the immediate family and the extended family."

As part of the celebration, the hallways of Talarico Place were decorated with photos and press clippings of Talarico and the many hospital staff members who he worked with over the years.

"When Ken took over - our hospital always ran in the black. We had the best equipment anywhere," said Eaton. "We were written up in, I believe, Macleans or Chatelaine that we were one of the top three cleanest hospitals in Canada. It was like our own personal Camelot and he was our King Arthur. There wasn't anything we wouldn't have done for him. He knew us all personally. He was just the most outgoing, caring individual."