Ford Van Hagen ’51

Van was born Aug. 11, 1927, in Chicago and died Sept. 25, 2004, in Springfield, Ill.

He was a 1945 graduate of Culver Military Academy and served in the Army for 18 months before attending Purdue University for his freshman year. At Princeton he was a biology major, active in the Nassoons and Triangle, and a member of Tiger Inn. He roomed with Pope Lancaster and Bill Stranahan.

Playing the piano was his lifetime devotion; in Springfield he was a founding member of Los Medicos Locos Band and the Medical Madness Variety Show, which ran for 12 years. Ford received his master's and medical degrees from Northwestern University Medical School in 1955 and served his internship and surgical residency at Passavant Memorial Hospital in Chicago. He practiced surgery for 41 years in Springfield prior to retirement in 2003 and taught in medical schools and directed surgery departments throughout his career.

He is survived by Judy, his wife of 40 years; two daughters, Amy and Jennifer; three children from a previous marriage, Ford Jr., Fulton, and Monica Bingham; his brother, George; and a sister, Mary Claire Ullram. Memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society for colon cancer research would be most appreciated.

The Class of 1951