Dr. David Lukens

LUKENS , Dr. David On April 2, 2007, DR. DAVID LUKENS passed away with his beloved wife and daughter by his side after a long and courageous battle with heart disease. David was born on a small farm in Atchison, KS, on November 21, 1924. After the death of his father in 1926, his mother moved to Hutchinson, KS, where she married Dr. Boyd Greever. David graduated from Hutchinson High School in 1942 and matriculated to Harvard College, Cambridge, MA. David proudly served his country during WWII and the Korean War. Upon his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the US Navy. He participated in the Navy V-12 Accelerated Medical Education Program at Harvard and was later transferred to the US Naval Hospital in Annapolis. MD, where he served as an enlisted Medical Corpsman. In September, 1944, he transferred to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, where he served as a medical student for the remainder of WWII. At the conclusion of WWII, David completed his medical studies and graduated from Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1948. He participated in the Internal Medicine Residency program at Johns Hopkins Hospital during 1948-50. At the beginning of the Korean War in 1950, David was recall to active duty by the US navy as Lieutenant (MC) and was reassigned to the US Army. David served on combat with 7th Cavalry Regiment in Korea from 1950-51, rising to the rank of Regimental Surgeon and earning a Combat Medical Badge. Following a year of service on the front lines in Korea, David was reassigned back to the United States, and served as Staff Physician at the US Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, VA, during 1951-52. David returned to Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1952, where he completed a Fellowship in Cardiology and was named the Senior Medical Staff Consultant in the Department of Internal Medicine. During this time, he also served as the Chief of Poliomyelitis Service of Baltimore City Hospital where he participated in the development of the Salk polo vaccine. David married Zahn Belcher in Baltimore, MD, September 17, 1955. They moved to Hutchinson, KS, in June 1956, where David was founding member of the Hutchinson Medical Center. David and Zahn had two children, Laura Lukens Perkins of Lenexa, KS, and David Lukens II, of Mission Hills, KS. David was very involved with his children's education and hobbies which included attending many American Quarter Horse shows with Laura and competitive tennis tournaments with Dave. David held many advanced medical certifications and was active in several regional medical organizations. He was certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners, certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and was a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, and a Fellow of the American College of Utilization Review Physicians. He was a past Chief of Staff at Grace Hospital, past President of the Reno County Medical Society, former Director of the Reno County Red Cross, past President of the Kansas Heart Association, former Director of the Kansas Heart Association, former Director of the Great Plains Heart Association, former Director of Kansas Foundation for Medical Care and former Chairman of the Hutchinson Hospital Quality Assurance Committee. David also served as President of the Kansas Quarter Horse Association. David was a longtime member of the First Presbyterian Church and was a Director of the Central Bank & Trust Company for over 35 years. David was an avid golfer and sportsman. He loved his Golden Retrievers and was a member of the Hutchinson Kennel Club. He enjoyed his volunteer work as an Instructor of Computer Science at the Delos V. Smith Senior Center of Hutchinson. During their retirement , David and Zahn enjoyed traveling to Kansas City to visit their children and grandchildren. They also loved spending winters in Palm Desert, CA, golfing with their many friends from Hutchinson and elsewhere. David will be missed by his family who loved him so much, wife, Zahn, daughter Laura and son Dave, son-in-law, Tony Perkins, daughter-in-law, Jannell Lukens and grandchildren, David III and Thomas Lukens, Alex and Madison Carver and Travis, Spencer, and Chad Perkins. David was preceded in death by his father, David Lukens, mother Margaret Greever, stepfather, Dr. Boyd Greever and step-grandson Hunter Perkins.
Memorial service will be 11 A.M., Thursday, April 5, at the First Presbyterian Church, 201 E. Sherman, Hutchinson, with Revs. Tim Soule and Helen Moore Spath presiding. Military honors conducted by the Ft. Riley Honor Guard. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Hutchinson Hospital Foundation, 1701 E. 23rd, Hutchinson, KS, 67502 or the American Heart Association, 6800 W. 93rd, Overland Park, KS, 66212 or c/o Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS, 67501. Personal condolences may be sent to
www.elliottmortuary.com