Henry Lynn Hook F.a.c.c.p. M.D.

1924 - 2014

Henry Lynn Hook, M.D., F.A.C.C.P.

NEWARK: A funeral service celebrating the life of Henry Lynn Hook, M.D., F.A.C.C.P., age 89, of Newark, will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 8, at Central Christian Church, 587 Mt. Vernon Road, Newark, Pastor Jeff Gill officiating. Burial will follow in Cedar Hill Cemetery with the Licking County Veterans Alliance providing military honors.

Dr. Hook died in his sleep at his home in Newark on Saturday, February 1, 2014. He was born September 17, 1924 in Beaumont, Texas, the first son of Harry and Mabel Irene (McGrew) Hook. In 1931 his family moved to Newark, Ohio where he entered the Newark School System as a second grade student at the Maholm School. He graduated from Newark High School in 1942 where he had led an active role in student government, academics and debate. He was president of the student council, held the Key of Distinction in the National Forensic League and was awarded the Harvard Cup as the most outstanding student in his class upon graduation. During a summer job at Camp O'Bannon, a health camp for local children, he became convinced while assisting the clinic nurse that he wanted to become a physician. Premedical education at Ohio State University was followed by acceptance in The College of Medicine at OSU where he graduated in 1948.

While in medical school he worked in the laboratories under Dr. Herman Hoster in Hodgkin's disease and leukemia research. Upon graduation he did internships and residency training in U.S. Navy hospitals in Oakland, California and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Those training programs incorporated teaching services of the several medical schools in the cities and during those years the opportunities to associate with the outstanding physicians of the day were many and friendships were formed which lasted many years providing broad perspectives to a young physician.

During the Korean War, Dr. Hook was sent to be the medical officer for the staff of Commander Naval Forces Far East in Tokyo, Japan. This tour of duty involved casualty evacuation from Korea and evaluation of medical facilities While in Tokyo he was attending physician to W.J. Sebald, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, and was a consulting physician to Shigero Yoshida, the Prime Minister of Japan. For his services during the conflict he was awarded the Secretary of the Navy Medal of Commendation.

He did specialty training in pulmonary diseases at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit from 1956-1958 and then joined the Toledo Clinic in Toledo, Ohio where he served as consultant in pulmonary diseases to many hospitals in the Toledo area. He established pulmonary function laboratories in several hospitals thereby providing new concepts in the management of chest diseases in northwest Ohio. Participation in the Jackson Clinic for Endoscopy at Temple University in Philadelphia resulted in introduction of new techniques and instruments for examination of the lungs in the Toledo community. In 1963 there was an effort being organized to build a new hospital in Newark, Ohio. He returned to Newark to play a role in the development of that new facility. He established a pulmonary and respiratory department in the new hospital and was director from 1966 until he retired in 1989. He played an active role in teaching nursing and radiology students in the hospital. He was Chief of Staff of the hospital in 1971 and 1972 and was Chief of Medicine for many years. He served as a Trustee on the Licking Memorial Hospital board from 1979 to 1985; Trustee of Hospital Health Program 1989-1995 and Vice Chairman 1990-1995; Trustee of Licking Memorial Health Systems 1988-1994, Secretary-Treasurer 1989-1991 and Vice Chairman-Treasurer 1991-1994. He was a staff physician for the Licking County Board of Health from 1963 to 1989 and was Controller for Tuberculosis and clinic director during those years. From 1960 until 1978 he was Visiting Medical and Pulmonary Consultant to the staff of St. Francis of Oak Ridge Hospital in Green Springs, Ohio. For 25 years he was Medical Expert for the Secretary of Health Education and Welfare, providing medical testimony in the Hearings and Appeals Court. Dr. Hook was a Diplomat of The American Board of Internal Medicine, a Fellow of The American College of Chest Physicians, a Trustee for The American Society of Internal Medicine and an Active or Past Member of The American Medical Association, The Ohio State Medical Association, The Licking County Medical Society, The Ohio Thoracic Society, past president, The American Trudeau Society, The Association of Military Surgeons, The American Geriatric Society, The Toledo Academy of Medicine and The Toledo Clinic Foundation.

He received his Eagle Scout award in 1941, was on the camp staff of Camp Falling Rock, and attended the first National Scout Jamboree in Washington, D.C. in 1937. As a member of the first organized Explorer Scout group in the council, he participated in the building of the lodge and cabins on Scout Island in Buckeye Lake in 1940-1941. His interest in Scouting resulted in a continued support of this organization throughout his life. Sailing was an avocation he pursued for three quarter of a century and he sailed in several oceans of the world and the Great Lakes where he kept his boats. Long cruises into the northern lakes were made with many crews who shared his love of the waters. He held certification in celestial navigation and was licensed as a Merchant Marine Officer with a Masters Certificate for Steam, Motor or Auxiliary Sail vessels. He taught sailing, navigation and boat handling to many young crew members for more than forty years.

Electronics became strikingly important in the fields of pulmonary and cardiac medicine at the mid-turn of the last century and Dr. Hook began studying this field as it applied to his practice of medicine. From this interest came the stimulus to become licensed in the field of radio communication. After obtaining licensure as an Advanced Operator in the FCC Amateur Radio Service, he established stations at home and aboard his boats from which he communicated over many years with friends and sailors all over the world, running phone patches and service messages for missionaries in isolated countries and sailors on the high seas. Good will discussions with people around the globe were enlightening and entertaining and helpful to many.

Dr. Hook was a member of Central Christian Church of Newark, the Moundbuilders Country Club, The Capital Club of Columbus, The American Legion and The Navy League.

He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Robert H and Patricia Hook of Overland Park, Kansas; eight nieces and nephews; and 17 great nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister and brother-in-law, Betty and Marion J. Rienstra of Beaumont, Texas; his lifelong friend, John G. Hazlett of Newark.

Friends may call from 4-7 p.m. on Friday, February 7, at the Newark Chapel of Henderson-Van Atta-Stickle Funeral & Cremation Service, 59 North Fifth Street, Newark. Memorial contributions in Dr. Hook's name may be made to Call to College, Licking County Historical Society or The Salvation Army. Please visit www.hendersonvanatta.com to view a memorial and to leave a message of condolence for the Hook family.