The Early years

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My father, Ken Thorp Sr. (May 16, 1926 – October 5, 2014), graduated from St. Thomas High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and enlisted to serve in World War II from July 1944 until the war’s end in September 1945. He served as a Cadet Midshipman (Engineer) aboard the SS Mormacwren, operating in the Marianas and Okinawa.

After the war, he attended the University of Michigan, where he served as a Navy ROTC Battalion Commander. He later continued his military service as a Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) and Assistant Commander in the U.S. Navy Construction Battalion #8, with postings in Davisville, Rhode Island, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"My parents were married on September 16, 1949, in California, where my father was stationed as a Navy officer. Both attended St. Thomas High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, before my father went on to earn a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan."

"A photo of my mom, dad, older brother Ken, and me. We lived in Detroit, MI, and later Ypsilanti, MI, until I was five. At that point, my father relocated our family to Tokyo, Japan, where he spent two years applying his expertise in the metal and ball-bearing industry to support Japan’s post-war regrowth as a mechanical engineer. We later returned to the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area before moving again in 1964 when my father’s career took us to Westlake, Ohio, a western suburb of Cleveland."

"I attended St. Edward High School (SEH) in Lakewood, OH, a large Catholic school run by the Brothers of the Holy Cross. SEH was known for competing at the highest state levels in many sports. It was a great experience, but as a late bloomer, I couldn’t compete on the football field, so I focused on hockey—a sport I had always loved. We played in the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League.

To this day, I’m still not sure how this picture ended up as a full-page in my senior yearbook or why the quote below it was chosen. The verse, taken from the Beatles’ song Hey Jude, remains a mystery. After high school, I continued playing hockey as an amateur for many years in men's pickup games."

 "This was my high school senior picture. I graduated from St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio, in 1971 and went on to attend Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo, MI, from 1971 to 1975. While WMU would later become a powerhouse in hockey, at the time, it had only a club hockey team. I chose to play intramural hockey and focus more on my academics.

I majored in chemistry with minors in mathematics and biology, determined from an early age to pursue medical school. My interest in obstetrics and gynecology was influenced by my mother’s work as a labor and delivery nurse, as well as my readings about Ignaz Semmelweis, whose work in antiseptic procedures deeply inspired me. I was accepted into Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan, and graduated in 1979. During medical school, I received a Health Professions Scholarship from the U.S. Air Force and attended officers' training school during my summer breaks."

This is a colored pencil rendition of a photo taken by my eldest daughter, Jenica. If you saw the original image, you’d be amazed by the level of detail and the talent she captured—it truly showcases her artistic gift. The drawing is of me in 1976 during a seven-day backpacking trip in southwest Colorado. With a few of my classmates from Wayne State University School of Medicine, we hiked into the Chicago Basin in the San Juan Mountains, entering between Durango and Silverton—just off the historic train route.

It remains one of the most memorable backpacking trips of my life. Around that time, I was honored to receive the David S. Diamond Award, which was given to me by the top medical student in obstetrics and gynecology.

Dr. Tommy Evans, then-chair of the Department of OB/GYN, promised to secure me a residency position anywhere I wanted. Naturally, I chose the University of Colorado in Denver, which has long been considered the “perinatal capital of the world.” Thanks to Dr. Evans’s advocacy—and perhaps a little divine intervention—I was spared from being assigned to a subpar Air Force residency program.

Let me know if you want to tone it up or down or add more personal reflection!