Samuel Miles King M. D.

Samuel Miles King died on August 19, 2012 at the age of 81. He will be remembered for his love of family and friends, and his previous devotion to the practice of the medical specialty of Cardiology. He was born in Wichita Falls, Texas on August 8, 1931. He was the youngest of three children, born to John Barre King and Josephine Bechtel King. He spent his formative years in San Antonio, Texas. He received a BS degree from Trinity University and his M.D. degree from University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in 1956. He interned at the U.S. Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland from 1956-1957. He served in the United States Navy from 1957-1959. He began his specialty training after three years of internal medicine at UTMB and in 1962 he was accepted to the esteemed Cardiology fellowship under S. Gilbert Blount, M.D., University of Colorado. In 1964, he began Cardiology practice joining the outstanding Cardiology Group of Drs. William Gordon, Brandon Hull, and Dr. Joe Arrington in Lubbock, Texas. He was designated to establish the first Cardiac Catheterization and Coronary Angiographic Laboratory in Lubbock, in addition to his normal practice. It was a difficult undertaking yet exciting, finding and training a cardiac catheterization crew, purchasing appropriate equipment, and then finally performing the first coronary angiogram on April 7, 1970. Dr. King with his Cardiology group worked with cardiac surgeons, Dr. Don Bricker, Dr. Martin Dalton and many others, and during the ensuing decades, Lubbock became a prominent cardiac center. All of this required great effort, and Dr. King was well known by his colleagues as tirelessly dedicated. Dr. King was board certified in Internal Medicine as well as the subspecialty Board of Cardiovascular Diseases. He was a member of the Texas Club of Internists as well as the Texas Club of Cardiologists. He was president of the Lubbock Heart Association in 1968 and initiated the “Heart Ball”, which continues as a fund raising annual event to this day. During the 1970s Dr. King became acquainted with Carol Mosser, who became the love of his life and on August 19, 1978 they married. Dr. King enjoyed travel, golf, social activities, and engaging in his renowned sense of humor. He was happiest serving others and socializing with friends was his daily highlight. He was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Lubbock. He was preceded in death by his father, John; mother, Josephine; and brother, John. He is survived by his beloved wife, Carol; his daughter Courtney; her husband Duncan and their son Miles (Dallas, Texas), his sister Mary Jo Nairn (New Braunfels, Texas), many nieces and nephews, numerous in-laws and dear friend Mildred Lane and Oscar King. Memorial services will be at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, August 22, 2012 at St. Paul’s-On-The-Plains Episcopal Church, 1510 AveX, with Rev. James P Haney V officiating. Family will receive friends at Sanders Funeral Home, 1420 Main ST, on Tuesday from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Covenant Heart and Vascular Institute, in care of Covenant Foundation, 3623 22nd Place, Lubbock, Texas 79410.

Samuel Miles King M. D.

August 8, 1931 - August 19, 2012