Long time Marble Cliff resident Dr. Kenneth Doolittle remembers Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor very well.
His father was in a private medical group practice in Hawaii at the time and 11-year-old Doolittle was preparing for Sunday school on that fateful day. He sensed something drastic was happening, but it wasn’t until he looked down on Pearl Harbor from a friend’s house that he saw the devastation.
“The loss of lives and ships was very bad. But the Japanese didn’t blow up the fuel storage tanks or the repair facilities. In my opinion, they made two big mistakes,” says Doolittle.
Doolittle says life in Hawaii wasn’t too bad during the war. Though gasoline and tires were rationed, there was plenty of food because Hawaii was a marshaling place for the war in the Pacific.
“We felt tense and feared the islands would be invaded, especially in June 1942 when Oahu was swarming with soldiers. We knew something big was happening somewhere. It was the Battle of Midway, 1,500 miles northwest of Hawaii. Throughout the war, we could sense a battle was going to happen in the Pacific. We’d see a large buildup of troops; then, suddenly, they’d ship out for a battle in some far-off land.”
After high school, Doolittle went to Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, where he graduated with a BA in chemistry. He continued at the University of Rochester for medical school. That’s where he met his wife, Shirley. She was a head nurse at a hospital he was assigned to.
“We got married the day before I graduated because my parents couldn’t make the trip from Hawaii very often. It was quite a time,” Doolittle says.
The newlyweds came to Columbus in 1956 for his internship at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. After that, he joined the Army’s 101st Airborne Division as a captain.
“I made 17 jumps,” says Doolittle.
Following the military, they returned to Columbus for his surgery residency at Mount Carmel Health, then three years in urology at OSU.
“The Village provides superior services at little cost. The police, fire and school are outstanding. The Village is quiet and without tension. It’s like living in the country, but with the convenience of the city.” - Doolittle
Doolittle remained in private practice until 1994, working at many hospitals and serving as CDC chairman at Mount Carmel East during the mid-1980s and in 1984, as chief of staff of both Mount Carmel locations.
The Doolittles bought their 100-year-old Marble Cliff home in 1963. The house at the corner of Arlington and West Third avenues was surrounded by beautiful rose bushes for many years.
“We chose the area because of the Grandview schools. We were very pleased with the education our four children received,” says Doolittle.
His oldest son, Kenneth, is an orthopedic surgeon in Mount Vernon. William is a consultant in nuclear health physics in Minneapolis. Jonathan is a Lutheran pastor in San Diego, and daughter Holly is an ICU nurse at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Doolittle and his wife are proud grandparents of 12. And Heidi, their miniature schnauzer, is an important part of their lives, too.
“She gets me moving and out of the house where I get to meet many people,” says Doolittle.
Both are very active at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Upper Arlington. Doolittle served on the Endowment Board of the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago for 15 years. In 2016, the school presented him with its Distinguished Service Award.
They have enjoyed their “little place” in western New York each summer and wintertime in Hawaii. They have visited six continents and been around the world. Doolittle found Israel quite inspirational.
“My visit to the site of the Sermon on the Mount really touched me,” says Doolittle.
“We are very happy we settled in Marble Cliff,” he says. “The Village provides superior services at little cost. The police, fire and school are outstanding. The Village is quiet and without tension. It’s like living in the country, but with the convenience of the city.”
