Born June 28, 1947 in Des Moines, IA, Craig Roger Garrett grew up in the small town of Colfax, 25 miles away. He became curious about attending West Point, and his mother was instrumental in encouraging him. She opened his letter of acceptance and phoned his high school principal, who promptly shared her happy news with Craig (and the rest of the school) over the P.A. system. When he remained ambivalent about attending USMA (vs. Iowa), the letter to decline his appointment mysteriously disappeared. So, Craig went to West Point.
Craig’s Class of 1969 Company B-1 classmates recall “a serious cadet not caught up in the aura of gray,” “the most ‘perfect’ guy,” and “without a screw-up bone in his body.” His roommates recount his unwavering support from home. Mail call became a contest to guess how many letters his girlfriend, “Kendy” (Kendra Jones of Colfax), would send—regularly three, but as many as 10 per week. His wry grin seemed to be a recognition that West Point required a lot of “getting through,” whether it was ultimately very important or not. Craig progressed each year at USMA, becoming a star man (top 15 percent of his class), and commanding B-1 as a cadet captain. Craig chose Field Artillery as his branch and West Berlin as his first assignment. He married Kendra two weeks after graduation and, having reached a long-term career decision, spent his leave taking classes to prepare for medical school before reporting to Fort Sill, OK.
Following two years in Berlin, Craig attended the University of Iowa School of Medicine, during which time their daughter Megan was born. Craig transferred to the Medical Corps and took his residency at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center (AMC), Denver, where son Evan was born. Following residency, Craig spent five years at Fort Carson, CO, and daughter Laurel joined the family. This period was extremely productive for Craig, and for the Medical Corps, as described by his B-1 companymate Brian Owens, MD: “During my internship at Fitzsimmons, Craig was a chief resident, one of three; obviously, others saw the leadership qualities he embodied. He was assigned to Fort Carson, where Fitzsimons residents could go to experience medical practice, which I did. I greatly benefitted from my classmate’s abilities as a skilled clinician, a talented teacher and a trusted mentor. Craig was the kind of doctor I would like to have for my family and myself. His patients were very fortunate.”
From 1983 to 1989 Craig practiced at Walter Reed AMC, Washington, DC, was promoted to colonel, and co-founded a fellowship in advanced general medicine. He wrote that this tour was the highlight of his Army career. In addition to patient care, he was involved in training medical students from the Uniformed Service University of the Health Sciences and residents at WRAMC. He was a natural teacher.
Following retirement from the Army, Craig followed his desire for teaching and returned to the Midwest, taking a position at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC), Minneapolis, and soon became the chief of the general medicine division. Craig practiced there 26 years, and, when he left that position, three people had to be appointed to replace him. He founded the International Clinic serving the needs of immigrant populations, the Medical Consultation Service that collaborated with surgical teams to improve patient outcomes, the Walk-in/Direct Care Clinic, and numerous other revolutionary programs.
Craig also supervised and helped train hundreds of residents in his department. Craig had a quick but dry wit, and residents and new staff were initially fearful of his gruff demeanor—until he cracked a wry joke that surprised them into the realization that he was not all formality and duty. He taught many residents the importance of taking the hand of a patient and making sure they understood what was going on and that their questions were answered.
Craig had an avid interest in history, especially the Civil War, and took his family on many battlefield tours, until they got old enough to protest. His interest in history coincided with his love of genealogy. Craig wanted to know more than just names and dates. He wanted to learn and publish peoples’ stories. Craig was also noted for his family Christmas letters (humorously titled “News from Lake Woebegotten”), an admixture of facts and absurdities, often in multiple-choice format.
Late in life Craig suffered from multiple instances of cancer, and a complicated heart condition that required a pacemaker. Though generally a bit of a pessimist, Craig handled his cancer well. He spoke openly about it and its physiological and emotional effects. He read widely about dealing with death and continued his long-term habit of writing in his journal, including poetry to help him reason through his situation. He loved Forest Church’s advice from Love and Death to “want what you have; be who you are; and do what you can.” Craig and Kendra traveled extensively, continuing even through his cancer treatments. He was particularly delighted that son Evan asked him to officiate at his wedding in 2017, and Craig became “ordained” in the Universal Life Church. He was well aware that each day is a gift.
Craig died on October 25, 2017 as he had wanted, at home having lived life fully and come to terms with the fact that he had to leave it sooner than he would have liked. His legacy will live on in Kendra; children Megan Judy, Evan Garrett, and Laurel Stephenson; and grandchildren Kai and Ryan Judy, and Heidi and Elyse Stephenson; as well as in his West Point classmates.
— Kendra J. Garrett and Mark “Doc” Dillon ’69