Conditions in the area was stable and the family was able to enjoy the opportunity to travel in Japan and thoughout Asia, including Hong Kong, the Philippines, Formosa and Thailand. Near the end of their three year tour in Japan, the family was returning from a trip to Thailand and their plane was making a refueling stop in Saigon. As they approached the landing strip, they observed a flight of large bombers flying by – a harbinger of things to come. Ken also noted that by 1965, they were beginning to notice an increase of wounded soldiers arriving from Vietnam. Ken’s five year commitment to the Air Force was nearing completion and he was resisting the temptation to extend his commitment. He was now a Major with a near term opportunity for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and re-assignment to Lackland Air Base in San Antonio, where the Air Force has their premier medical facility. Winston-Salem was calling and Dr. Charles Norfleet wanted Dr. Kenneth Carlson to join him in a new medical practice, independent of Bowman Gray School of Medicine and NC Baptist Hospital. The Carlson family arrived back in Winston-Salem in July 1965, after being away for five years while Ken served his country. The family moved into the house where they now live at 3108 Buena Vista Road. Becky entered the 8th grade at Wiley School. Kenny and Carol Ann attended Whitaker School, Kenny in 6th grade and Carolann in 3rd grade. Ken joined Dr. Norfleet in the new urology practice. In this practice, Ken would faithfully and diligently serve many patients over the next 28 years. He and his partners would bring the first lithotripter (kidney stone-busting machine) to Winston-Salem, only the second one in the US. Ken was the first to visit Indianapolis for training. They also developed a pediatric urology practice to improve the quality of life for younger people. As busy as Ken was serving the people of Winston-Salem and the area from a medical standpoint, he was not too busy to become involved in other aspects of people’s lives. In the 1970s Ken started participating in volunteer work with the Salvation
Army and became interested in developing recreational facilities for young boys and girls. He has served on the National Board for Girls, Inc. He has been awarded The Gold Medallion Award, the highest honor given by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. The Boys and Girls Club building located on Reynolds Park Road is named for Dr. Carlson in gratitude for the love and support that he and Mary Jean have given to the club over the years. Even now he is talking about the need for a new soccer field with bleachers and lights. Ken takes particular pleasure telling about the program which provides after school mentoring for young female students at the club.
In addition to Ken and Mary Jean, the Carlson family now consists of the adult children, Rebecca Carlson Smith, who lives with her husband Andy in Raleigh; Kenneth P. Carlson, Jr., who lives with his wife Melanie in Winston-Salem; and Carolann Carlson Lineweaver, who lives with her husband Dan in Blacksburg, VA. The five grandchildren include Becky’s two sons, Andrew Brandon Smith and Wesley Clayton Smith; and Kenny’s three daughters, Lindsay Marie Veasey, Elizabeth Abbott Robb and Kathryn Louise Carlson. Ken and Mary Jean expect to become great-grandparents in the near future.
In addition to the focused support Ken has given to Boys and Girls Clubs over the years, Ken has also contributed his time and efforts to two other organizations which provide critical services to the citizens of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County: Senior Services and Hospice and Palliative Care. He has served on the boards of both and has been named Director Emeritus at Hospice. Ken’s leadership and infectious enthusiasm has attracted many of his friends and associates to serve in each of the organizations he supports. As a physician Ken has served almost 40 years treating an untold number of patients. He has contributed countless hours and dollars improving the quality of life for the youth of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, for seniors through Senior Services and Meals on Wheels and for those approaching end of life through Hospice. Before Mary Jean and Ken became members of Centenary United Methodist Church over 10 years ago, Ken was an elder at Highland Presbyterian Church. At Centenary, Ken and Mary Jean are members of the Chapel Class and are active in senior adult activities as members of the Senior Adult Council. Although Ken’s mother hoped he would be a minister, it is very likely that both mother and father would agree that he has fulfilled “the need to be of service to people” as emphasized in his family as he was growing up. Ken has definitely fulfilled his father’s assurance that “Son, you are going to find your own way. You are good in the sciences and you may decide to be a physician.”
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