Good morning. I’m Jeff Toth and I had the great pleasure of being able to work with Dr. Lynch during my doctoral studies. Ken would often tell me that if you pressed a button on his forehead, he could give a 50-minute lecture on almost any topic. As a professor, and partly through my training with Dr. Lynch, I have inherited this gift from Ken. I want to assure you and especially Father Dan that I have prepared a short eulogy and not a 50 minute lecture.
Dr. Lynch was born on October 07, 19-ought-20 (as he would say) in Warsaw, Indiana. Ken was proud of his heritage, proud of his family, proud of his service in the military, proud of his alma mater, and proud of his academic accomplishments. Ken always knew who the Boilermaker’s were playing, and tried to watch every game. Through the years, I heard many stories of Ken’s cross-country running career from Purdue. In addition to those stories, I also shared an office with Ken, and one day a 6 foot wide poster of the younger Ken running around a farm field in his Purdue uniform suddenly appeared on the wall. Ken loved his wife Rita, wife Dottie, and was extremely proud of his family, especially his three grandchildren Ian, Sarah, and Lee. Even though I have only met his family a few times, Ken would always be happy and proud to tell me about Tim taking him out to breakfast every weekend, Ellen’s music therapy classes, Jane’s forestry graduate studies, and how Sarah would always take care of him. He was always very proud of your accomplishments. Since I am not a family member, I cannot recount the family stories that you may remember him by, and I apologize if I have missed something important that your family remembers.
Dr. Lynch received a Master’s degree in Medical Microbiology from Marquette’s graduate school in 1958 and persevered to earn his doctorate in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Purdue University in 1972. He was very proud of both his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from Purdue. Ken struggled as all students do, but perhaps more so. Working as medical technologist and professor, he struggled to complete his dissertation while traveling back and forth between Indiana and Milwaukee while helping Rita raise their 5 children. Perhaps one of the funniest stories Ken told me was after driving between Milwaukee and West Lafayette, Indiana, he fell asleep Christmas Eve assembling toys under the Christmas tree. And this is where the family found him early Christmas morning. It would seem that working all of those jobs, lack of sleep seemed to be a common theme in many of the stories his family has of him. Sharing an office with Ken, I came back from a meeting and proceeded to engage Ken in a conversation as he was leaning against a file cabinet. When I got no answer, I realized that Ken had fallen asleep on the pulled out top drawer of the cabinet. How he could sleep standing up, I’ll never know. At conferences, you could set your watch by Ken. Three minutes after the lights had dimmed, he was out!
In 1955. Dr. Lynch accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Microbiology at the Marquette University Dental School. Marquette was lucky to have a dedicated and caring professor like Dr. Lynch. Having struggled himself as a student, he was always available to help students. In 1967, he accepted a position as Chief of Orthopaedic Histopathology and Lecturer in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin. At MCW, Ken got involved in research projects in many departments. He was always available to work with students, residents, and faculty from many different areas. Dr. Lynch worked with Drs. Quinn Hogan and John Kampine in anesthesiology, Dr. Larry Ryan in rheumatology, Drs. Jeff Schwab, Don Hackbarth, Thomas Flatley in orthopaedic surgery, and Dr. Hani Matloub in plastic surgery (among others). Ken treated all of these colleagues with true respect. He worked as if the success of every project depended on him. At the time he retired, Ken had over 30 publications and book chapters in biomedical research. He was most famous for his work on calcium phosphates as bone graft substitutes. It was through his research and collaboration with dentists and clinicians that biphasic calcium phosphates found their way into dental, orthopaedic, and clinical practice. Dr. Bill Hubbard, one of Ken’s former students, now manufactures and sells these same calcium phosphates for medical implants. Ken was always very proud of this work. Perhaps Ken’s most prestigious work was the granting of a US patent for “Bone Induction Method” with calcium phosphate ceramics. I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Lynch on these research studies, and they formed the basis for my doctoral research. Had it not been for Ken’s guidance, enthusiasm, and instruction, I would not have the successes I have today. My successes were Ken’s successes. As many in Dr. Lynch’s family know, I always called him up and thanked him for all he taught me. Every time I visited or called him, I would tell him about how I passed on or applied what he taught me. When I showed a student something that Ken taught me, I told them my Dr. Lynch stories. I would like to reassure Ken’s family that Ken is not dead, he lives on in me and all of the students he inspired and helped over the years.
Since I am not a family member, I cannot recount the family stories that you may remember him by. As a former student, I can tell what Dr. Lynch was like. I can also tell you what was his best characteristic that I would like to emulate as a professor. Matthew chapter 10 tells us that Jesus instructed his disciples in the following manner:
Matthew 10:
7 And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.
8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.
Certainly, that last line epitomizes the Dr. Lynch that I knew. I cannot count the number of students that Dr. Lynch helped. It didn’t matter if Ken was the instructor for a class, or not, if he could help, he would. I personally cannot count how many hours Ken and I spent at the microscope studying slides. That one-on-one training is indispensible. There is no substitute, no book, no manual that can replace such one-on one training. Today, I make time to do the same thing with my students. Bill Hubbard also could tell stories of Ken’s commitment to his project as a student. How Ken was always available. Always willing to help. Ken gave freely as Jesus instructs us. I hope to emulate this as well.
Similarly, the following philosophy is attributed to Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. Schultz asks us the following questions:
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2 Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3 Name the last five winners of the Miss America Contest.
4 Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5 Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6 Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do? If you are like me, you probably remembered very few of these. The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of yesterday. But these are not second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. Applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
But here's the second part of Schultz’s quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
The lesson: The people who inspire us, inspire future generations, and make a difference in our lives are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care. Dr. Lynch cared. He cared for his family. He cared for his students. He cared about the unborn, the sick, the poor, the sinner. He cared and prayed for others. Today, as we say goodbye to our friend, father, grandfather, let us remember to care for others the way Ken did. In this way, Ken will live on in all of us. Thank you for listening and thank you to Ken’s family for the opportunity to express my appreciation. I end this eulogy the same way Ken said goodbye to me each and every time I called him: God bless you.
Thank you, Jeff and Ann, for your steadfast friendship over the years. Your visits and calls meant the world to Dad, and kept his memories of the work he loved strong.
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