In the early 1930s, at a time when segregation defined daily life in Gregg County, Camp Normal Industrial Hospital stood as a rare and courageous promise of dignity, healing, and hope. Born from the vision of community leaders and sustained by oil-royalty endowments, the hospital became the primary place of care for Black families in East Texas—delivering babies, treating illness, and offering compassion when few other options existed. Under the devoted leadership of pioneering physicians like Dr. Obie Moore and later Dr. William Mitchell, the hospital served generations who otherwise would have been left unseen and underserved

CAMP NORMAL INDUSTRIAL HOSPITAL…

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Today, that same sacred ground is calling once more.

Pippins Wellness Center is being reborn through the leadership of Eddie and Chaplain Patti Towles, respected business entrepreneurs who have served the Longview, Texas community for more than 30 years. With deep roots in East Texas and a heart for people, they are reopening this historic site not just as a building—but as a movement. Their vision is to honor the legacy of Camp Normal while boldly stepping into the future.

The renewed Pippins Wellness Center will bring up-to-date wellness technology, integrative health services, and community-focused care to East Texas—addressing the same disparities that once made this hospital necessary, but with modern tools, innovation, and compassion. This is about access. It’s about equity. And it’s about restoring a place that has always existed to heal.

Now, the next chapter depends on all of us.

We invite you to be part of this historic reopening. Visit pippinswellnesscenter.org to learn more, and please consider giving through our GoFundMe campaign. Your support helps transform a powerful legacy into a living, breathing center of wellness for generations to come.