Dr. Kenneth Foree: a legacy worth remembering

Last week the world lost a true humanitarian and our church community lost one of its earliest and most ardent champions of global outreach, Dr. Kenneth Foree. Kenneth became a member of Highland Park United Methodist Church in 1943 and has been a pillar of the church since that time.

I had the great honor of getting to know Kenneth through my father, as they worked together to build HPUMC's ministry in Haiti. I knew him as a man of great accomplishment in every area of life. He was a quiet servant who lived out his faith through every endeavor he undertook, and through every person he met.

Following medical school he completed his residency at the acclaimed New York Eye and Ear Infirmary in New York City. As a member of the US Navy, he cared for the eyes of those designing and building large guns, knowing that even a minute fraction of an inch in error could result in devastating inaccuracy on the battlefield. Upon returning to Dallas, Kenneth began work in private practice as well as serving as a clinical professor of ophthalmology at Southwestern Medical School. There he was beloved by residents and inspired in them the drive not only to provide the best care, but also to care for the patients in their charge. As the consummate physician, he served as the chief of ophthalmology at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. His accomplishments, however, were not limited to academic and professional pursuits.

When our congregation saw the desperate need for eye care in Haiti, Kenneth unconditionally answered the call and quickly became the driving force behind what would become the only comprehensive eye care facility south of Port au Prince. He first traveled to the Haiti Eye Clinic in 1978, and created a true partnership with the Haitian community. As a part of his missionary work, Kenneth worked closely with the staff of HPUMC and particularly with Lila Kaesler who served as administrative assistant to the senior and senior associate pastors (in other words, she ran the church!).

Lila went on the first HPUMC team trip to Haiti in 1976, handled the administrative work related to the Haiti Mission and helped with each subsequent trip ensuring things ran smoothly. Kenneth’s plain-spoken southern ways charmed Lila and she soon became Mrs. Kenneth Foree – a marriage born of the work they shared and loved in Haiti!

I cannot even estimate the number of times Kenneth visited Haiti, but I do know that the hardships, both ordinary and extreme, could not deter him. The ordinary hardships of cold showers with no water pressure, heat and humidity without air conditioning, providing medical care without the equipment and support staff we are accustomed to and traversing rocky, often washed out roads, were things Kenneth took in stride. Even holing up during a military coup could not keep him from his Beloved Haiti! Part of this was the due to the immense need he saw and his drive to alleviate what suffering he could, and part of it was due to the blessings he received from Haitian friends and strangers who inspired him as he worked to help them.

Because of the injuries he incurred in the earthquake of 2010, Kenneth was not able to return to Haiti again, but he was not about to let the ministry die. When my sister and I were asked to meet with some of the leadership of our church and outreach ministry, we were inspired by the presence of Kenneth and Lila. You absolutely cannot turn down people of such immeasurable love, and so we accepted the challenge to ensure the long-term viability of HPUMC's Haiti Partnership. One thing he said to me again and again about his time in Haiti is that, "We always got out of it more than we gave."

In the last conversation I had with Kenneth just last week, he reiterated his love for the Haitian people with tears in his eyes. I am humbled every day to follow in such strong, gentle and faithful footsteps and am blessed to help our church honor Kenneth in our ongoing ministry in Haiti.

Words from a note I received this week from a long time Haitian friend and ministry partner provide a beautiful summation of Kenneth’s impact on those he loved and served in Haiti as well as encouragement for our church as we carry on his legacy.

"We must confess that we have never been so impressed, blessed and deeply touched in our hearts by anyone other than Dr. Foree: for his love, his simplicity, and his compassion. He is a GIANT and a mentor for all of us. He is part of our family. He is such an inspiration that his footprint will forever remain in our thoughts and in our souls. He will continue to be our mentor, our inspiration. The Methodist Church of Haiti will be missing him but he will be remembered by the thousands of patients he cared for. Let us not be saddened by his departure but let us rather celebrate his life. We have learned so much from him and he has been our friend!"

To the very end, I was and continue to be inspired by the enduring faith Kenneth exhibited in his medical practice, mission work, love of family and assurance of Christ’s guidance and love. Just as he was a gentle example in life, his peace in passing is a gentle example of how to gracefully embrace the transition in death. As his Haitian friend said, he is a true giant in the worlds of mission, medicine, faith and family, and he will be deeply missed. What a blessing to have known such a man!