Sheet 20B, Block 212, 7207 Cresheim Road
84, 138, 163, Drake, Ralph, Head, O, 12000, R, No, M, W, 30, M, 26, No, Yes, Ft Scott: Kansas, New Jersey, Indiana, , 70, , , , , Yes, Doctor, , 9294, O, Yes, , No, ,
85, 138, 163, Drake, Anna Lee, Wife-H, , , , No, F, W, 23, M, 19, No, Yes, Parson: Kansas, Ohio, Ohio, , 70, , , , , Yes, None, , , , , , , ,2
First Name: Ralph
Middle Name: L
Last Name: Drake
Name Suffix:
Birth Date: 8 December 1899
Social Security Number: 186-07-8400
Place of Issuance: Pennsylvania
Last Residence: Wichita, Sedgwick, Kansas
Zip Code of Last Residence: 67218
Death Date: 22 September 1994
Estimated Age at Death: 95
Collection: United States Social Security Death Index6
Drake, Ralph L., 94, retired physician, died Thursday, Sept. 22, 1994. Service 3 p.m. Thursday, Downing & Lahey Mortuary.
Survivors: wife, Anna Lee; daughter, Katherine Hagerman of Santa Fe, N.M.; six grandchildren. Memorial has been established with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Kansas Chapter.
Published in The Wichita Eagle, (KS) - September 25, 1994
4
There's a little story that Katherine Hagerman thinks tells a whole lot about her father, Ralph Lafayette Drake.
It was shortly after the United States entered World War II. Dr. Drake was in his 40s by that time and even though he had already served during World War I, he signed up for duty again.
He thought that since he and his wife didn't have any children at the time, it could mean a married man with children might not have to go, Hagerman said. Gestures like that made Hagerman's father so special, she said.
Dr. Drake, a proud veteran and a respected Wichita physician, died on Sept. 22. He was 94.
''Corky," as he was called by those close to him, was devoted to his medical profession, Hagerman said. Dr. Drake was a Kansas native, born in Fort Scott, who was interested in medicine from the time he was a boy, Hagerman said.
After serving in World War I, he studied medicine at the University of Kansas, graduating in 1922. He went on to earn a medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1926. That same year, he married Anna Lee Van Meter.
He practiced medicine in Philadelphia before moving to Wichita in 1937. Dr. Drake served on the staffs of four Wichita hospitals: Wesley, St. Francis, St. Joseph and the Veterans Administration.
While at Wesley, he established the first department of encephalography. And in 1959, still at Wesley, he established the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic.
He was a recipient of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Bronze Hope Chest award for his work in establishing the clinic and for his service to the South Central Kansas chapter of the society.
Dr. Drake served as director of the clinic until his retirement in 1976. That year, he was named "Research Fellow of the Year" by the Wesley Medical Research Foundation for his work in theclinic.
His death came after years of declining health, Hagerman said.
''People remember him as being very patient," Hagerman said, "very patient with younger people, and I'm sure he was very patient with everyone who came to see him."
Despite his varied lifetime experiences, he didn't like to talk a lot about them, Hagerman said.
''He was not, in a way, one of the great story-tellers," she said. "Some people make wonderful stories out of anything. He was more of a quiet guy."
He enjoyed traveling with his wife, and he loved reading. His other interests varied: He was a great fan of the Wichita Symphony, a member of the College Hill Poker Club, a follower of the Detroit Tigers and a member for more than 50 years of Rotary International.
''He was very low-key and supportive of you," his daughter said. "And he also had a great sense of humor. . . . It was kind of a quiet and dry sense of humor, but he really had a sense of humor that could get to you. And he really had a lot of charm."
He is also survived by his wife, Anna Lee; and six grandchildren. A memorial has been established with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Kansas Chapter.
Published in The Wichita Eagle, (KS) - October 4, 19944
Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, April 19, 1995, Vol 273, No. 15
Drake M.D.
December 8, 1899
September 22, 19945
