To honour the recent passing of Burnaby's first orthopaedic surgeon, those closest to Dr. Kenneth C. Hill are putting on a hospital fundraiser.
Hill started working at Burnaby Hospital in 1962 and was instrumental in growing the orthopaedic surgical team there.
He passed away on April 29. His children and friends decided to hold a casual get-together and fundraiser for the place Hill spent most of his life working.
Andy Hill, the doctor's son, is a musician and has come up from Los Angeles to play at the fundraising event on Saturday night with his singing partner Renee Safier.
"He led by example," Andy said about his father. "He was a really hardworking man. He was in exactly the right profession. He got up every morning and went out to ease suffering in the world, and he loved every aspect of that, except when something didn't work, and he had to get up and do it again."
The fundraiser event is being held in Judy Chucko's home, who has been a friend of the Hill family for as long as she can remember.
"I've known Andy's dad for years, and the majority of people coming are the same,"
Chucko said, noting she expects about 140 people to attend. "He's been a big part of even my kids' (lives). I went to school with Andy's sister, and we all went to school together, and we're all friends, and now our kids are friends."
Chucko recalled the time she had shoulder surgery, and Hill, also a close neighbour, would walk over to visit her every few days.
"That's just the kind of person he was," she added.
Many people coming to the fundraiser are also connected to the Burnaby Winter Club, and Andy played hockey for the team when he was younger.
"I have three siblings, and parenting was really great," Andy said. "They would make sure they got to one game by each kid per week."
Hill was also a community member and served as president of the B.C. Medical Association from 1973 to 1974.
He initiated several programs at Burnaby Hospital to improve patient care, including lobbying for Burnaby Hospital's first CT scanner in 1986.
Prior to his death, he committed to purchasing an orthopedic drill set for the hospital's operating room to assist with joint surgeries.
Burnaby Hospital Foundation posthumously awarded Hill the Spirit of Philanthropy Award in May, but he was informed about it before his passing and responded to the announcement in a press release.
"I would like to express my appreciation to my colleagues at Burnaby Hospital who have demonstrated to me their gratitude and sincerity, which is second to none. As Alfred Lord Tennyson once wrote in Ulysses: 'I am a part of all that I have met. Yet all experience is an arch where-through gleams that untravelled world, whose margin fades for ever and for ever when I move."
Those who attend the event are asked to pay a $25 minimum donation and bring their own beverages.
All of the proceeds are going to the hospital.
"There's no maximum donation," Chucko noted.
For more information about the event Saturday night, visit www.andy andrenee.com or email Chucko at [email protected]. The event starts at 6 p.m. [email protected]
Larry Wright, Burnaby Now / Helping tunes: Andy Hill, left, will be performing with his singing partner, Renee Safier, right, at a fundraiser for Burnaby Hospital to honour his late father, Dr. Kenneth Hill. The casual fundraiser is open to anyone who wishes to make a minimum $25 donation and enjoy live music on Saturday, Aug. 17.;
