`Visionary' physician Kerns dies at 85.Byline: Jeff Wright Jeff Wright can refer to:
Dr. Thomas Kerns, a physician who touched the lives of thousands as the founder of Eugene's Serenity Lane treatment center for alcoholics and drug addicts, died Saturday of renal failure renal failure n. Acute or chronic malfunction of the kidneys resulting from any of a number of causes, including infection, trauma, toxins, hemodynamic abnormalities, and autoimmune disease, and often resulting in systemic symptoms, especially edema, . He was 85. A funeral Mass will be celebrated Wednesday at St. Paul Catholic Church in Eugene. Kerns "was a visionary, extremely determined and dedicated, yet at all times very humble," said Neil McNaughton, Serenity Lane's longtime executive director. "He had tremendous compassion and energy." A self-effacing general practitioner general practitioner n. Abbr. GP A physician whose practice consists of providing ongoing care covering a variety of medical problems in patients of all ages, often including referral to appropriate specialists. , Kerns moved to Eugene from Grants Pass in 1949, practicing at the Eugene Hospital and Clinic, where he became a partner. A quiet trailblazer in medicine, he was among the first physicians in Oregon to offer natural childbirth natural childbirth: see birth. natural childbirth Any of the systems (e.g., the Lamaze method) of managing birth without drugs or surgery. All begin with classes to teach pregnant women about the birth process, including when to push and what classes and to promote breast-feeding breast-feeding /breast-feed·ing/ (brest´fed?ing) nursing; the feeding of an infant at the mother's breast. . In 1949, he began doing Pap smears, a cervical cancer Cervical Cancer Definition Cervical cancer is a disease in which the cells of the cervix become abnormal and start to grow uncontrollably, forming tumors. diagnostic tool so new to Oregon that it was offered only in Portland. But his grandest legacy was the 1973 opening of Serenity Lane, which has since treated close to 50,000 alcoholics and drug addicts, and has branched out to include nine outpatient clinics around the state. Kerns got the idea after a friend, a recovering alcoholic, brought him a book on Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), worldwide organization dedicated to the treatment of alcoholics; founded 1935 by two alcoholics, one a New York broker, the other an Ohio physician. in 1970. `He just really wanted (alcoholism) to be accepted by society as a mainstream illness,' said McNaughton. "He didn't feel it ought to be done in dark corners without professional help." Kerns became Oregon's first certified addictionologist in 1987. In December, the Governor's Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs awarded him its highest honor in recognition of his lifetime of work treating alcoholism and addiction. Kerns "had a gigantic capacity to work," spending lunch hours, evenings and weekends at Serenity Lane after seeing patients in his private practice, McNaughton said. He didn't retire from Serenity Lane until 1996. Kerns took on projects - such as treating addicts or the obese - long before they were popular, and endured some professional ostracism ostracism (ŏs`trəsĭz'əm), ancient Athenian method of banishing a public figure. It was introduced after the fall of the family of Pisistratus. as a result, McNaughton said. In 1964, he offered a structured weight loss program based on fasting followed by six prepackaged pre·pack·age tr.v. pre·pack·aged, pre·pack·ag·ing, pre·pack·ag·es To wrap or package (a product) before marketing. Adj. 1. meals per day. He took up jogging before it became fashionable, and over the years sought out University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. track coach Bill Bowerman on training. He completed the Steve Prefontaine Marathon in 1978. His last-place finish met with cheers from the remaining crowd at Hayward Field. Kerns' community service extended beyond the medical field. In 1964, he and his wife, Clara "Tops" Kerns, co-founded the Eugene Montessori School - only the second school of its kind in Oregon - with Don and Helen Walsh of Eugene. Kerns helped find and hire the school's first instructors, bringing them to Eugene from London, England. He was a founding member of the Oregon Catholic Physicians Guild and a charter member of Catholic Charities of Lane County, now known as Catholic Community Services of Lane County. He was the first team physician for the St. Francis High School football team in 1950 and continued with the Marist High School football team until 1985. He was also active in the Knights of Columbus Knights of Columbus, American Roman Catholic society for men, founded (1882) at New Haven, Conn. (where its headquarters are still located), by Father Michael J. McGivney. . Kerns was born in Scotts-bluff, Neb., on Dec. 13, 1919. His parents and two brothers all died by the time he was 17. Supported by a large extended family, he attended boarding school and earned his medical degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. He and his wife were married Sept. 2, 1941, and Kerns became a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, serving as ship's doctor on a destroyer in the Pacific for the duration of World War II. The family moved to Grants Pass in 1947 and to Eugene two years later. Kerns enjoyed hunting, fishing, scuba diving and hiking. Survivors include his wife; three daughters, Jane Stanfield of Cle Elum, Wash., Patricia of Seattle and Mary Newson of Pleasant Hill; five sons, Tom Jr. of Yachats, Bob and Father John, both of Portland, and Will and Pete, both of Eugene; 20 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. A granddaughter, Mary Kerns, died in 2003. Wednesday's Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. at St. Paul Catholic Church. A viewing will take place at the church at 5 p.m. Tuesday, followed by a vigil at 6 p.m. Andreason's Cremation cremation, disposal of a corpse by fire. It is an ancient and widespread practice, second only to burial. It has been found among the chiefdoms of the Pacific Northwest, among Northern Athapascan bands in Alaska, and among Canadian cultural groups. & Burial Service of Eugene is in charge of arrangements. The family requests no flowers and no perfume at the Mass, in deference to family members with chemical sensitivities. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul Catholic School, Carmelite Monastery or Hospice of Sacred Heart. |
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