Courtesy of Leslie Hoffman CollectionBorn: c. 1893
Died: February 13, 1962
Married:
Children:
Abe Montague cured at the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital possibly when it was still the National Vaudeville Artists Lodge.
Courtesy of Leslie Hoffman CollectionHe original owned a Vaudeville Theater in Boston and then was hired by Columbia Pictures, holding various positions, finally becoming the Vice-President.
He never forgot his time curing in Saranac Lake and was very active on the Will Rogers Hospital Board of Directors.
He eventually became the President of the Board of Trustees for the Hospital until his death in the early 1960s.
During his term as President, the R. J. O'Donnell Laboratory was dedicated for yet another person that worked in the Entertainment Industry.
A Medical Research Library was built and named the Montague Memorial Library, in his honor (which is now the High Peaks Church).
Also a pond was constructed in front of the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital with a plaque that read, "Montague Memorial Plaza".
Courtesy of Leslie Hoffman Collection
The Pond still exists today but the plaque was removed from the rock it was attached to when the Hospital closed in the mid-1970s..
Almost all sites at the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital were dedicated to Members of the Entertainment Industry and not to the Doctors who work at the Hospital.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, February 14, 1962
Abe Montague Dies;
Headed Will Rogers
Abe Montague, executive vice president, of Columbia Pictures Corporation and president of Will Rogers Hospital and O'Donnell Research Laboratories, died yesterday in Stuart, Fla. where he and his wife had been vacationing. He was 69 years of age.
A spokesman at the hospital said this morning Mr. Montague had been the guiding genius of the hospital since 1951. During his term of office the new O'Donnell Laboratory was built and dedicated.
Courtesy of Leslie Hoffman Collection
In recognition for his service to the motion picture industry and his philanthropic endeavors, Mr. Montague was named Pioneer of the Year by the Motion Picture Pioneers last November. He was the eighth man to be so honored by the industry, which he entered when it was still in its infancy He operated a combination movie theater and dance hall in New Hampshire when he was only 16. In 1923 he organized Certified Screen Attractions and a short time later acquired the New England distribution franchise for Columbia Pictures. In 1933 he was appointed general sales manager and in 1958 became executive vice president.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, January 4, 1965
Will Rogers Hospital Will Add Library
The Will Rogers Memorial will build a new medical and scientific library as a memorial to the late Abe Montague, it was announced today.
The Saranac Lake architectural firm of Distin Wareham has been authorized to proceed with working drawings and actual construction is planned for May 1.
Mr. Montague, in whose honor the library is being built, was president of the Will Rogers Memorial Fund.
The building will be designed in stone and half timber in keeping with the existing buildings and, according to the architects, it will be modern in every respect. The site is described as "ideal" with views to the east and the south over the valley to the mountains.
Courtesy of Leslie Hoffman CollectionThe basement will house the heating and ventilating equipment, receiving and storage space and additional area for classrooms.
At the ground level will be the medical and research library with a modern cataloging system and a full-time librarian.
On the second floor will be a seminar and lecture room, with a seating capacity of about 150. The room will also have projection and recording equipment.
The library facilities will be available to the hospital doctors, trainees, investigators, and summer students.
The schedule calls for working drawings and specifications to be finished in early March for construction to start in May.
The announcement of the building follows a recent meeting between the architects and J. Edward Shugrue, Executive Director of the Will Roger Memorial Fund,
