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Dr. Kerry English, 40 year employee at King/Drew, dies

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Dr. Kerry English, long time director of the pediatric division at Martin Luther King Hospital, passed away on April 27, of complications of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). A board member for several nonprofit family and child support organizations, he was also a well-known Los Angeles theatre and arts aficionado. He was committed to caring for children and engaging with diverse communities throughout his life. Kerry was 74 years old.

Raised in Southern California, Kerry spent his life as a mainstay for the medical and theatre/arts communities of Los Angeles. He served on the boards for 24th Street Theatre, Cornerstone Theater, Secret City and the Watts Towers Arts Center.

Throughout his life and career as a pediatrician and teacher, Kerry worked with and supported diverse and disadvantaged communities. He was medical director of the King Foster Care HUB Clinic in Watts, director of the Child Development Division of the Pediatric Department of Drew University of Medicine and Science, and the Pediatric Department of the King/Drew Medical Center, where he worked for over 40 years.

He taught at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, as well as his medical alma mater UCLA. Kerry served on the board and as chair of Drew Child Development Corporation, an organization dedicated to the education and well-being of at- risk children; and on the boards of El Nido Family Centers, an agency that provides support services to disadvantaged communities; and SHIELDS for Families, serving high-risk families in South Los Angeles.

He is survived by his wife, Olga Garay-English, an independent arts consultant and former executive director of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and his children Jena English, Gavin English, Mark Conley and grandson Pharoah Clay.

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