Today we’re taking a peek behind-the-scenes at the Ford White House and profiling White House Physician Rear Admiral William Lukash.
B1874-07A / NAID: 7064718
Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
Born in Detroit, Dr. Lukash attended Michigan State University for his bachelor’s degree and then the University of Michigan School of Medicine. He joined the Navy in 1957 and would go on to work at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland. He also served as a physician for 4 presidents: Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter. He began his White House service as one of the youngest assistant physicians ever appointed and was promoted to chief physician by President Ford.
As White House chief physician, Dr. Lukash was responsible for managing the health of the President, his family, and the White House staff. After First Lady Betty Ford had surgery for breast cancer in October 1974, Dr. Lukash oversaw her chemotherapy and recovery. He also treated President Ford’s old knee injuries from his football days in high school and college, recommending a swimming and exercise regimen to strengthen the president’s knees1.
Notable other cases in Dr. Lukash’s White House career also included treating Tricia Nixon’s measles and mending President Carter’s broken collarbone from a skiing accident at Camp David.
Dr. Lukash retired from the Navy and the White House in 1981, moving to California and working as a director at the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in San Diego. He likened his White House service to being a country doctor: “You end up being involved in their nuclear families, and they become like family.”