Stockton Developmental Center former employees met for last reunion after 25 years

The Stockton Developmental Center closed 26 years ago, yet for nearly three decades former employees have kept their friendships alive by meeting annually on the third Saturday in May.

That was until Oct. 8 when more than 82 former employees gathered in downtown Stockton at Cancun Restaurant for their last “official” reunion. The meeting had been moved from May because of COVID-19 precautions.

“I feel really sad because I think it's a chapter in our life that's closing and obviously age goes on, and so we all age and we all die and to me, part of having this is what kept us together,” said Joann Watkins, 75.

Watkins worked at the center as a registered nurse, health services specialist, unit supervisor and supervisor of the vocational workshop before retiring in 1996 when the hospital closed.  It is now the site of the Stockton campus of California State University, Stanislaus.

“I loved my job,” she said.

The Stockton Developmental Center, formally known as the Stockton State Hospital or the Insane Asylum of California, was home to patients from throughout California with mental health illnesses.

“I worked at several other facilities, and I traveled to all of them, and this was the best group of employees that I came across in our department and there’s no question about it,” said Dave Scatena, 83. “They were innovative, they were attentive, and they cared about the individuals that we served.”

Scatena worked at the center for more than 21 years, leaving in 1993. He managed a program that served more than 230 individuals with “psychological, psychiatric and training” services.

Former employees have taken to Facebook to share reunion dates and photos of the buildings on the grounds of the former hospital, and updates on other former coworkers.

Dr. Shien Tseng, 78, a former medical director at the center attended his third reunion with the group on that October Saturday.

Tseng started at the center in 1978 and worked there until its final closure. He said he has “many good memories” from his days working there.

“I'm glad I made this. This is going to be one of the best memory, I get,” he said.

The Stockton Hospital was the first ever public hospital in the state of California to serve the mentally ill and the first hospital of its type west of the Mississippi.

California’s Legislature believed that the Gold Rush had an impact on people’s mental health and that the existing hospitals were inadequate to cope with large numbers of people dealing with mental health issues.

In 1853, the hospital was founded as the Insane Asylum of California on 100 acres of land donated by Capt. Charles Weber, the founder of Stockton.

Watkins, Scatena, Outlaw, and Melinda Gonser have worked together in the past years to organize and plan the annual reunions.

“Those of us that started it, are tired. It is a lot of work, a lot of stress involved, it just seems like a good time [to end],” Outlaw said.

Some in the group said they will continue to meet on that third Saturday in May.

“It doesn't feel like the end,” said Bette Outlaw, 87, a former registered nurse at the center. “It's like we're family. And so, we wanted to continue being a part of that family,” Outlaw said.

A group of former employees also meets every third Wednesday of the month for lunch. There are more than 12 members, their name is the Stockton Development Center Lunch Bunch.

“I think we really developed this very strong family bond among the employees,” said Gonser, 69, a former community liaison at the Stockton Developmental Center.

Gonser worked at the Stockton Developmental Center from the Fall of 1978 to June 1995. She continues to work part-time as a resource specialist consultant with Valley Mountain Regional Center.

“I always loved working at the developmental center. There was always a team spirit. A spirit of collaboration, innovative ideas were supported by the executive director, and management, anything to improve our services and supports was welcomed,” she said.

The center closed in 1996 as larger mental health facilities fell out of favor, some attendees said.

“The trend not only in California but throughout the United States was to depopulate large institutions," Gonser said. They had found that wasn't really an effective way or a humane way of treating individuals and that giving people the opportunity to live in the community was more appropriate and not to segregate them from the ... general population,” she said.

Memories of working at a mental health center also shine a light on how those with a mental illness might have lost their services with the closure of the center.

“People were discharged. Most of them went to some kind of a home environment. But many were just discharged and those are people that still need services but they're in the community. It was a loss to the community, I think,” Outlaw said.

“But also, I've seen some that I think are thriving … I've seen some of them that have done very, very well in the community,” Outlaw added.

Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at recordnet.com/subscribenow. 

This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton Developmental Center former employees meet for last time