JOHN IORWERTH FREDERICK REPPUN

John Iorwerth Frederick Reppun was born on November 19, 1913 in Tirljian, Russia to Dr. Carl F. Reppun and Emily J. Lewis Reppun. He was married to Jean Engel of Prospect, Pennsylvania on June 14, 1928.

His father, Dr. Carl Reppun, was born in Nice, France and practiced in Munich, Vienna, and ran a hospital in a mining town in the Ural Mountains when the Russian Revolution broke out between the Czarists and the Bolsheviks. The family fled to Omsk in Siberia where they met up with The American Expeditionary Army keeping the Trans-Siberian Railway open. The family, including his brother Eric, boarded a transport leaving Vladivostock. In 1920 when the family reached Hawaii they decided to stay. Dr. Carl Reppun became the only doctor in Kahuku where he opened a family practice.

Dr. Frederick (as he was better known) Reppun was raised in Kahaluu, Oahu, Hawaii. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1930. He graduated from Punahou School in 1932. He did his undergraduate work at Harvard College, receiving his bachelor's degree in 1936 and received his doctor of medicine degree from Harvard Medical College in 1939. He interned at Pittsburgh Medical Center 1939-1940. He was a resident at Valley Hospital in Sewickley, Pennsylvania 1940-1941. He was in the U.S. Army Medical Corps 1941-1946 and served in the South Pacific including Australia, New Caledonia and Guadalcanal. He was discharged as a Major.

Dr. Reppun returned to Hawaii in 1946 and served as a plantation physician with the Hawaiian Pineapple Company on Lanai from 1946-1948. In 1948 he relocated to Molokai where he set up his private general practice and he was the only physician on the island ( population 5000 ). He was under an industrial medical contract with the California Packing Corporation, the Molokai Ranch and the Pacific Pineapple Company. He also served as government physician of the Leeward Molokai District and served as Director of the Molokai Community Hospital. After 7½ years he moved to Oahu, took over the rural Kaneohe practice of Dr. Fiore, and was in general practice in the Koolaupoko District on Oahu in 1956. Dr. Reppun was associated with the Fronk Clinic for a short time. In 1963, he was joined by Dr. John Carson at the office which had been built by Fronk Clinic. They purchased the office at Pua Inia Street and Kamehameha Highway for their practice which lasted over 30 years. He retired in 1991 after a 52 year career.

He was a member of the American Academy of General Practice and served as President from 1960-1961. He was a member of Hawaii Academy of Family Practice and served as Secretary-Treasurer in 1963-1966, 1972-1974. He also was a member of the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons, Honolulu County Medical Society, Hawaii Medical Association and associate member of Pan-Pacific Association. He held membership in Maui County Medical Society, Industrial Association, Territorial Association of Plantation Physicians and Association of Military Surgeons.

He was Editor of the Hawaii Medical Journal after having been Editor of the General Practice Page. He was a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. He served as Chief Physician at Pohai Nani Retirement Home in Kaneohe. He resigned in 1970 after six years of services when he disagreed with a management decision involving the head nurse whom he felt was performing excellently.

He held membership in Bishop Museum Association, Hawaiian Academy of Science, Hawaiian Botanical Gardens, Hawaiian Historical Society, Friends of Lahaina Restoration, Kaneohe Little League, Pop Warner Football, Punahou Alumni Association and served as State Councillor from Oahu and as Director of Punahou O Men's Athletic Club. He was a member of the Boy Scouts of America Windward District Council, Windward Chamber of Commerce, Imua and P.T.A. In 1963 he was a Sponsor for the Citizens Pure Water Association of Honolulu.

In 1968 the Honolulu County Medical Society named him Medical Father of the year. In 1974 he was honored by the Hawaii Medical Association at the Association's 118th annual meeting as Physician of the Year for his community services in the Windward Health Planning Council, as Vice-Chairman of the Windward Oahu Community Association and the Kaneohe Community Council, as well as for the medical association.

Dr. Reppun was a prolific writer, and his letters to the editors of newspapers were published frequently on topics which reflected his opinions and showed intense and persuasive common sense. There were frequent articles in the papers on his stance in many areas. He started papers when he was on Lanai and Molokai and in Windward Oahu.

He was active in community activities and served on the Kahaluu Neighborhood Board and was Chairman. He was also active with the Windward Oahu Association and served as First Vice-President, and later as President before it was disbanded and was Director for the Kaneohe Community Council.

Dr. Reppun was dedicated to his profession and a man of strong convictions. He led the fund raising drive to establish Castle Medical Center. Because he did not believe in carrying malpractice insurance, he chose to lose staff privileges there when the hospital made insurance coverage as a requirement for staff privileges. He once served as Secretary of the Castle Memorial Hospital Staff. He was a Republican and defended the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War initially, but with time, came to oppose it. World issues were important to him and he was one of the organizers in the Physicians for Social Responsibility, a group which was an antinuclear organization. He was also a coordinator for International Physicians for the Prevention of nuclear war.

He and his wife Jean had six sons; Charles, Dr. Thomas, Paul, John, David and Joshua and daughter Martha Beachy. Dr. Reppun had two brothers. *Eric was President of the Hawaii's Board of Agriculture and Forestry for two years, and then became Land Commissioner for the State of Hawaii. He also managed the Pacific Pineapple Company on Molokai for 10 years. Arthur was with Pan-American World Airways in Tokyo.

Dr. Reppun died on March 15, 1995 in his home in Kahaluu, Oahu at the age of 81. He was survived by his seven children and nine grandchildren.

*Information updated July 2004 with information supplied by Eric's daughter, Karen Reppun Foster.

Medicine in Hawaii: Oral History Series

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