In Memory Of
Dr. Latta Henry, Sr.
1922
2019
Dr. Latta Henry, Sr.
August 30, 1922 — September 20, 2019
Dr. Clarke Latta Henry, M.D. died peacefully at home in Fairway, Kansas on September 20, 2019. He and his twin sister Shirley were born in Wichita, Kansas on August 30, 1922 to Cecil L. Henry and Trine Latta Henry of Baca County, Colorado.
Dr. Henry was raised by his widowed grandmother, Jane Hardy Latta, in Wichita, Kansas. The two of them spent summers with his parents where they had homesteaded north of Pritchett, in Baca County, Colorado, near the center of the Dust Bowl.
After graduating in 1940 from Wichita North High School, where he played saxophone in the marching band, Dr. Henry attended the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. He played briefly in the marching band at KU, and was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity.
He was a commissioned Ensign in the US Naval Reserves from 1942 to 1945, entering the University of Kansas Medical School as part of the Navy's V-12 program. Through the V-12 Program, the Navy educated doctors expected to be needed for service in World War II. After graduating from medical school in 1947, he married Jane Priest who was also from Wichita. Jane was his biggest fan and life partner in every way until her death in 2015. He was equally devoted to her.
Dr. Henry completed his internship and surgical residency in General and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center . He also earned a Masters of Science in Surgery from KU, and earned a Fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, MO.
Near the end of his fellowship at Barnes, he was drafted by the Army in the Doctors Draft of the Korean War. He was stationed at Brooke Army Hospital at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas from 1953 to 1955, and achieved the rank of Captain. That plus his service in the Navy's V-12 Program during World War II gave him the unusual distinction of having served in both the Army and the Navy.
After his Army service, Dr. Henry returned to Kansas City and opened his surgical practice. He was certified by the American Board of Surgery in 1954 and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery in 1955. He was on staff at numerous hospitals, and was a pioneer in open-heart surgery in Kansas City. In those days, the surgeons carried their own surgical instruments from hospital to hospital, as hospitals did not own all the specialized instruments needed for certain procedures.
Dr. Henry was a also licensed pilot with a multi-engine rating. In the early days of kidney transplants (1970), the St. Luke's dialysis team learned that a donor kidney was available in Springfield, Missouri for one of their patients who was awaiting a transplant. The team asked Dr. Henry for help. Dr. Henry offered to fly his plane to Springfield to retrieve the kidney for transplant. At the Springfield hospital, Dr. Henry assisted in the surgery to harvest the donor kidney before flying it back to Kansas City.
The Director of Technical Services at St. Luke's, who accompanied Dr. Henry on the flight, said, "In those days we didn't have kidney perfusion machines which keep the kidneys functioning up to 72 hours after removal. We had to bring the kidney back in a preservation unit, which was something like an ice chest. We were under a bit of pressure for time."
Dr. C. Y. Thomas performed the successful transplant surgery, and five years later the patient returned to St. Luke's to meet Dr. Henry for the first time.
Nicknamed "Speedy" by his friends in reference to his driving style, Dr. Henry had a real zest for life. He was an avid tennis player and classic car enthusiast as well as a loyal Jayhawk fan. He was also very fond of Labrador Retrievers.
Dr. Henry was preceded in death by both of his parents and his older brother Robert H. Henry of Tucson, Arizona as well as his wife, Jane. His sisters Shirley Henry Dixon and Norma Henry Sutherland died within a year of his passing.
He is survived by his three children, Carolyn Coulson (Fred), Anne Henry Ralls (Rick) and Clarke Jr. (Mary), as well as ten grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren. Donations in his memory may be made to Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village, Kansas 66208 for the Food Pantry, or to a charity of one's choice.
To leave a message of condolence for Dr. Henry's family, or to share a special memory of Dr. Henry, visit the guestbook below.
Dr. Henry was raised by his widowed grandmother, Jane Hardy Latta, in Wichita, Kansas. The two of them spent summers with his parents where they had homesteaded north of Pritchett, in Baca County, Colorado, near the center of the Dust Bowl.
After graduating in 1940 from Wichita North High School, where he played saxophone in the marching band, Dr. Henry attended the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. He played briefly in the marching band at KU, and was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity.
He was a commissioned Ensign in the US Naval Reserves from 1942 to 1945, entering the University of Kansas Medical School as part of the Navy's V-12 program. Through the V-12 Program, the Navy educated doctors expected to be needed for service in World War II. After graduating from medical school in 1947, he married Jane Priest who was also from Wichita. Jane was his biggest fan and life partner in every way until her death in 2015. He was equally devoted to her.
Dr. Henry completed his internship and surgical residency in General and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center . He also earned a Masters of Science in Surgery from KU, and earned a Fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, MO.
Near the end of his fellowship at Barnes, he was drafted by the Army in the Doctors Draft of the Korean War. He was stationed at Brooke Army Hospital at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas from 1953 to 1955, and achieved the rank of Captain. That plus his service in the Navy's V-12 Program during World War II gave him the unusual distinction of having served in both the Army and the Navy.
After his Army service, Dr. Henry returned to Kansas City and opened his surgical practice. He was certified by the American Board of Surgery in 1954 and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery in 1955. He was on staff at numerous hospitals, and was a pioneer in open-heart surgery in Kansas City. In those days, the surgeons carried their own surgical instruments from hospital to hospital, as hospitals did not own all the specialized instruments needed for certain procedures.
Dr. Henry was a also licensed pilot with a multi-engine rating. In the early days of kidney transplants (1970), the St. Luke's dialysis team learned that a donor kidney was available in Springfield, Missouri for one of their patients who was awaiting a transplant. The team asked Dr. Henry for help. Dr. Henry offered to fly his plane to Springfield to retrieve the kidney for transplant. At the Springfield hospital, Dr. Henry assisted in the surgery to harvest the donor kidney before flying it back to Kansas City.
The Director of Technical Services at St. Luke's, who accompanied Dr. Henry on the flight, said, "In those days we didn't have kidney perfusion machines which keep the kidneys functioning up to 72 hours after removal. We had to bring the kidney back in a preservation unit, which was something like an ice chest. We were under a bit of pressure for time."
Dr. C. Y. Thomas performed the successful transplant surgery, and five years later the patient returned to St. Luke's to meet Dr. Henry for the first time.
Nicknamed "Speedy" by his friends in reference to his driving style, Dr. Henry had a real zest for life. He was an avid tennis player and classic car enthusiast as well as a loyal Jayhawk fan. He was also very fond of Labrador Retrievers.
Dr. Henry was preceded in death by both of his parents and his older brother Robert H. Henry of Tucson, Arizona as well as his wife, Jane. His sisters Shirley Henry Dixon and Norma Henry Sutherland died within a year of his passing.
He is survived by his three children, Carolyn Coulson (Fred), Anne Henry Ralls (Rick) and Clarke Jr. (Mary), as well as ten grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren. Donations in his memory may be made to Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village, Kansas 66208 for the Food Pantry, or to a charity of one's choice.
To leave a message of condolence for Dr. Henry's family, or to share a special memory of Dr. Henry, visit the guestbook below.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Dr. Latta Henry, Sr., please visit our flower store.
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