Evening star., 1932-01-08
DR.. NELSON GAPEN
FATALLY STRICKEN
Was Retired Army Surgeon
and Professor and Execu-
tive of G. u. Schools.

Or. Nelson Gapen, retired Army sur
Reon and professor and executive men,
Der Of the faculties of the Georgetown
University schools OF medicine and den
tistry, died yesterday afternoon at
Georgetown University Hospital, follow
ing a sudden illness and operation. He
was a native of this city, and resided at
44I5 Seventeenth street
Despite the fact that he had not been
In the best of health recently, DR..
Gapen had attended steadily to his
duties at Georgetown, and Wednesday
taught his class in therapeutics as
usual He was stricken early yesterday,
and went to the hospital to obtain treat
ment for mastoidS which had developed.
Friends on the faculties, some of whom
saw him at the hospital, were surprised
and shocked to hear Of his death few
hours later Complications had deYel-
oped which aggravated his case and
made an immediate operation necessary.
Long Army Career.
Or. Gapen was recognized as an au-
thority in therapeutics, and had had a
long career in the Army He was
prominent in medical society circles
and as a member of the American Col
lege of Physicians.
Born in Washington, he was SO years
old january 3 last. DR.. Gapen was
graduated from q Washington high
school IN 1896, and four years later
obtained his degree of doctor of medi-
cine from Georgetown. Owing to his
superior scholarship he was made q
member of the faculty upon his gradu-
alton and acted as demonstrator in
anatomy for the freshman class.
At the time Of his death DR.. Gapen
held the position Of professor and chair
man Of the department of materia
medica, pharmocology and therapeutics,
1ecturing in the latter subject in the
Junior classes at the medical school.
He also was q member of the executive
stats of the Georgetown Hospital and
Of the dental school.
Preferring an Army career, DR.. Gapen
was commissioned as an assistant sur
geon, with the rank of first lieutenant,
in 1902, and was graduated from the
Army Medical College the following
year. He later pursued postgraduate
studies at the Harvard Medical School,
and in 1922, just before rejoining the
Georgetown faculty permanently, he at
tended special courses at the University
OF Mlcnlgan MEDICAL ScnOOl.
Disabled In Service.
During his Army career DR.. Gapen
was stationed several times in Wash
1ngton, and on these occasions served
on the Georgetown medical staff in
various capacities. He was retired from
the Army December 81, 1917, for dis
ability in the line Of duty, having been
promoted through the grades of lieuten-
ant colonel In the Medical Corps.
During the World War DR.. Gapen
was recalled to active Army duty on
two occasions, being given the rank of
colonel He was at one time chairman
of the Examining Board for the Avia-
tion Corps. He served in this country
during the war from January, 1918, 10
october of that year, and from No
vember 4, 1919, to November 80, 1919.
BY act Of Congress on June 81, 1880,
he was given retired rank of colonel
DR.. Gapen was friend as well as
teacher to the students under him. His
long years at Georgetown over differ
ent periods made him one of the best
known members of the faculty.
He is survived by his widow, Mrs.
Myra Dunnington Gapen, and daugh-
ter, Mrs. Mary Gapen Lanham, who Is
expected here from Fort Benning, Ga.
Her husband, Lieut.. G. T. Lanhann, is
stationed there. Funeral arrangements
await her arrival.