Person:Lucius Donkle (3)

1917 registered for WW1 draft in Chicago per his draft registration card. (age 40)

He was the youngest of 7 children born in 1877 on the family farm near Verona, Wisconsin. Growing up he helped with farm work which included feeding the animals, planting and harvesting the crops, making tallow candles, soap, split-rail fences, and walking behind a breaking plow, used to plow virgin prarie land the first time. His right shoulder was lower than the left which he said was caused when he was a boy by having to carry heavy split tree trunks used as rails for fences. in his later adult years he had to have his suits custom made since ready -made ones did not fit.

in high school his greatest claim to fame was being Captain of Madison High School 's football team that won the United States Championship in 1897. As far as is known this is the only national high school football championship ever. He also was on the team with his brother Alf that won the Wisconsin State Championship in 1894 and 1895. He was called "Little Dunk" and his brother Alfred, "Big Dunk". Alf, who was three years older than he, went to medical school at the University of Illinois in Chicago after graduating from the University of Wisconsin. He talked his brother into fallowing in his footsteps. Lucius graduated in l902 from Illinois with an MD degree. He and Alf knew Charlie and Will Mayo who were planning to set up a clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The Donkle brothers planned to set up a similar clinic in Chicago after they got established. Lucius had worked his way through medical school teaching chemistry and other jobs including playing professional football, for which he got $10.00 per game. He joined a medical social fraternity, Alpha Kappa Kappa, but was most proud of being admitted to the honorary medical fraternity, Alpha Omega Alpha.

Tragically, shortly after his graduation, Alf died of a ruptured appendix. This ended the brother's ambitious dreams. Although urged by Joe Dean, his friend and high school football teammate, to return to Madison to start a clinic, he decided to return to Chicago. [ Joe Dean and his brother later started a clinic which grew to prominence in Madison and elsewhere in the state. ] He entered general practice in offices at 1558 South Wabash Avenue with a dentist, Dr. Hubbard, and a pharmacist, Mr. Sissons, who owned a drug store down stairs. This grouping was common at the time. Some of his first patients were girls from the red light district, not far away. Many were Chinese from the China Town Area around 22nd Street, some being dope addicts from opium dens, which were not uncommon there. Many of his Chinese patients, including the Mayor of China Town, stayed with him even though he later moved his office to the Maryland Theater Building at 63rd Street and Maryland.

He became affiliated with St. Bernards Hospital, where he was the Chief of Staff for many years. Although he was in general practice, he was best known for his ability as a general surgeon and diagnostic skills. Just before World War I he had gone to Europe to study pathology at the Altermine Krankenhouse in Vienna, which was far ahead of the US in pathology at that time. The trip was both to study and take a honeymoon, having met in the operating room a young girl in nurse's training, Frances Peterson, who became his wife. in the early 1920's he founded the St. Bernards Radium Institute and was one of the first Chicago physicians to use radium as a treatment for cancer. His right thumb and forefinger were shrunk to about the size of his little finger from handling radium needles with his hands, before the dangers of doing this were known. At St. Bernard's he taught surgery to medical students from Loyola University. He also joined the Masons and became a 32nd degree Shriner.

in 1926 the family moved to 6718 Oglesby in the South Shore Area of Chicago's South Side. Until his death in 1948 the family lived within a few blocks of South Shore Country Club where he much enjoyed his membership. [6939 Crandon - 1933, 7321 South Shore Drive - 1940] He did, however, remain a member of The First Baptist Church of Chicago, located in Hyde Park, where he served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for a few years during the depth of the depression.

He never liked President Roosevelt much because Roosevelt put doctors, priests, and ministers all in the same category of existing to serve mankind. After the President said this, many patients stopped paying their bills, except for the Chinese who according to their religion had to have their bills paid at the start of their New Year. He liked the Chinese. On those rare occasions when the family had a meal in China Town, he never could pay for anything. Although he lost a great deal of money with the Stock Market crash of l929, particularly Samuel Insull's utility stocks, and options to buy several square blocks of then vacant property on the South side of South Chicago Avenue, he had his practice. However, he usually worked seven days a week, almost until his death at the age of 70. A few of his friends jumped out of windows during the depression when they were wiped out, their life insurance looking like it was the only thing left to save their family from ruin.

He seldom took more than a few days vacation at a time, except for a few trips to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he took hot mineral baths for his sciatica. He mostly enjoyed going up to Butte Des Morts, Wisconsin, for a couple days about every two weeks during the Summer. His Summer home there, overlooking the Fox River, was a bungalow with white columns in front. He said he wanted it to look like Mount Vernon. It was built on property inherited by his wife on the East side of her father's store. Butte Des Morts was where she grew up. Her father, Peter Peterson, had started a trading post there and gradually expanded it into a thriving business.

Dr. Donkle was very devoted to his family and his greatest joy came from family gatherings at Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, and holiday's, especially the 4th of July which was always spent at Butte des Morts.

He and much of his family are buried in the Riverside Cemetery, Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

1. ↑ Chicago Local Board No. 13. World War I 1917 Draft Registration Card
   12-1-13-C.
2. ↑ Draft Registration Card.