NORTH WILDWOOD ─ “If we do not preserve our history, we have no future,” Margaret “Pinky” Candell said Oct. 11, standing beside the desk of legendary Dr. Margaret Mace. On loan from Candell, Mace’s desk occupies a place of prominence in the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse.
“Where she (Mace) got the desk, we do not know,” Candell said, explaining the journey of acquiring the desk and its past.
According to Candell, her father Francis (Frank) McDermott wanted to restore the striking piece of furniture in the late 1960s-early 70s. McDermott taught emergency medical technician students at the old North Wildwood Recreation Center, when serving in the city’s rescue squad. McDermott served as a medic in World War II.
Candell said McDermott was also a cabinetmaker and she assisted him in restoring the desk, removing layers of black paint and rubbing oils into the wood.
Crafted of solid oak, Mace’s desk is rare due to the kind of wood used in its construction. According to Candell, the type of oak was no longer used at the turn of the 20th century.
From 1915 to 1950, Mace sat behind her desk at the hospital she founded in the former home of Frederick Sutton, a prominent businessman in Anglesea.
Sutton died aboard the Titanic in 1912, allowing Mace to obtain his home where she opened the Wildwood Sanitarium in 1915.
According to City Clerk Scott Jett, Mace’s mother died of tuberculosis, doubtless influencing Mace to open a sanitarium.
Until her death in 1951, Mace served Cape May County and delivered many babies, helping to usher in the next generation.
“This desk represents service,” Candell said with a smile. Though known as “Nurse Pinky,” Candell shares the same first name with Mace.
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Candell said. Though separated by time, two Margarets have served North Wildwood and the county.
“We (city) are overjoyed to have the desk on loan,” Jett told the Herald. “Dr. Mace is the most important woman in North Wildwood’s history. We are very grateful to Mrs. Candell.”
An agreement between the city and Candell allows the desk to remain on display for five years; however, the agreement will likely be extended.
“It (desk) needs to stay in North Wildwood,” Candell said.
Mace’s desk is more than oak. The desk stands witness to history of a community learning to embrace both past and present, ebb tides never forgotten.
Having survived the March 1962 storm, the desk may also have belonged to Sutton.
“History is fascinating,” Candell said. She gave 40 years of service in the medical profession, caring for premature infants, and was one of the youngest EMS in the county.
“They don’t make desks like this anymore,” Candell said. Protected by a glass top, Mace’s desk will continue to inspire and educate into the future.
To contact Rachel Rogish, email rrogish@cmcherald.com.
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