Robert Lam

1914 - 2017

LAM Robert Ching, MD, passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 102 on June 3, 2017. He was born in Guangdong (Canton), China, on November 25, 1914, the second of four sons of Tin and Ng Lam. When he was 13 years old, his father took him out of school so that he could help to manage the finances of the family business, a hat factory. Fortunately, after a year and a half, his mother insisted that he complete his formal education and enrolled him in a well-respected boarding school. He eventually came to the U.S., received his bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and obtained a master of science degree from the University of Illinois. Although he enjoyed scientific research, when World War II broke out, he decided to become a physician in order to support the war effort. He returned to China to attend Peking Union Medical School, a Rockefeller-sponsored institution that taught Western medicine in a curriculum using visiting faculty from the leading medical schools of America and Europe. He trained as a surgeon and worked for the US Army Air Force in China, caring for airmen flying missions against the Japanese from secret bases in inland China. It was during this time that he met his future wife, Rita Cheng, who was a nursing student. After they were married, Robert and Rita spent a post-war year in Shanghai helping with war relief efforts before immigrating to the US, where Robert completed a surgical residency at the University of Minnesota. He then joined the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) as a general surgeon, providing care for Sioux Indians in South Dakota, and then for inmates at a number of federal prisons across the country, eventually retiring in Lexington, Kentucky. In addition to being devoted to medicine and surgery, he was an avid reader, an affectionate dog owner, and a talented musician who loved to sing and to play the clarinet, harmonica, and Irish tin whistle. He and Rita introduced their daughters to church music, classical music, and opera, and encouraged them to study first piano and later violin and cello. The family formed a quartet that used to play hymns and popular music such as Stephen Foster songs, and the house was filled with singing, music, and dogs. As a surgeon, Robert was known to perform operations in the mornings and then to relax at noontime by strolling through the surgery ward, playing his clarinet to entertain his patients. Following his retirement from the USPHS, Robert served as an on-site physician for the clinic in the Center for Creative Living, a senior day care center in Lexington. He enjoyed making daily trips to the public library, where he was often consulted by neighbors and friends who visited him there to seek medical advice. Through the years, Robert and Rita generously supported local arts and music programs. They also provided friendship and support to Chinese students at the University of Kentucky, often hosting dinners for them. Robert received numerous professional and community awards, including a Lexington Department of Health Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to improving the health of Lexington residents; and he and Rita were named Kentucky Colonels for their service to the Lexington and Kentucky communities. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rita Cheng Lam, who died in 2004; by his parents; and by an older brother, David (Mary) and a younger brother, Jimmy (Laura). He is survived by daughters, Mildred (Mimi; Alfred Connors) and Hilda (Michael Collins); grandchildren, Lisa (Mark Siegel), Christopher Connors (Andris Koh), Sarah (Aaron McGowan), and Hannah Collins; great-grandchildren, Lily and Ben McGowan; a brother, Ben (Cynthia); sisters-in-law, Flora Cheng and Gilda Li; and numerous relatives living across the country from Hawaii to Washington DC. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 24 at 3pm at Southern Hills United Methodist Church, 2356 Harrodsburg Rd, Lexington 40503. Visitation will be held at the church from 1-3pm. In honor of Dr. Robert Lam, his family would appreciate memorial contributions to the Robert and Rita Lam Music Scholarship Fund, c/o Dean's Office, University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts, 202 Fine Arts Building, Lexington, KY 40506-0022. Kerr Brothers Funeral Home - Harrodsburg Rd. handling arrangements.