Obituaries: Kevin McDaniel, Sabine Parish M-235 Source: Sabine Index, Many, La., Aug 28, 1980 Submitted by: Carl Dilbeck carlrad@earthlink.net ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Kevin McDaniel A prominent Concord, Calif. orthopedic surgeon, his two sons, and a friend were killed in an airplane crash Friday, Aug. 15, at 9:26 p.m., in northern California. The single engine Cessna aircraft, piloted by the surgeon, lost radio contact with the South Lake Tahoe Airport Control tower, while en route to that resort community for the weekend. Recovered from the wreckage of the plane, which apparently crashed near the summit of 8,424 foot Silver Peak, just north of Squaw Valley, were the bodies of Dr. Jack L. McDaniel, 42; his sons, David, 17, and Kevin, 10; and a family friend, John Naylor, 17, all of Orinda, Calif. Dr. McDaniel was a native of Many. Dr. McDaniel, a pilot for several years, was flying the group to the Lake Tahoe vicinity to work on his cabin. Contact was lost with the tower seconds before the crash. Dr. McDaniel made no mention of trouble during his last radio contact. Placer County Sheriff Donald Nunes said the plane's emergency locating transmitter pinpointed the crash. The steepness of the terrain kept rescue workers off the mountain until a Civil Air Patrol pilot spotted the wreckage visually at dawn Saturday. A five member sheriff's search and rescue team, and two deputy coroners were airlifted to the crash site by the Calif. Highway Patrol helicopter. The McDaniel plane was demolished. Workers were finally able to remove the bodies from the mountain by helicopter about 5:30 p.m., Saturday. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman in Sacramento said the cause of the crash has not been determined, pending further investigation. Memorial services were held Tuesday, Aug. 19, at 4 p.m., in St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Orinda, for Dr. McDaniel and his two sons. A memorial fund has been established to honor Dr. McDaniel, according to his two partners, Dr. Clyde W. O'Neill, and Dr. Timothy C. Howard. Dr. McDaniel's special interest was internal plate fixation. Monies received for the fund will be directed into a special scholarship fund in his name, to help other physicians follow this special interest. Donations may be sent to: Dr. Jack L. McDaniel Memorial Fund, Concord Main Branch, Bank of America, 2118 Willow Pass Road, Concord, Calif. 94520. Survivors of Dr. McDaniel include his widow, Mrs. Yvonne McDaniel of Orinda; his mother, Mrs. Jesse McDaniel of DeRidder; his father and step mother, Mr. and Mrs. Elton McDaniel of Many; his sister, Mrs. Patricia Crow of Negreet; his step brother, Elton W. McDaniel Jr. of Many; his paternal grandparents, J. L. McDaniel of Pineland, Tex. and the late Mr. and Mrs. J. D. "Tuck" Wade of Negreet. Born June 3, 1938, Dr. McDaniel was a native of the Many area. He attended DeRidder High School, and following graduation there in 1956, he enrolled at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. In 1960, he received a B.S. degree from LSU, and began more studies at the LSU School of Medicine. He received his M.D. degree in June 1963. Dr. McDaniel interned at Confederate Memorial Hospital in Shreveport for 13 months. He did his residency training in general surgery at Southern Pacific Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, and then did residency training in orthopedics at U.C. Medical Center in San Francisco. Post graduate training in orthopedic surgery was gained in Switzerland, and Paris, France. In 1964 through 1968, Dr. McDaniel was a flight surgeon in the United States Air Force. He was stationed in Saudi Arabia and Germany. In 1974, he entered private practice in Concord. Dr. McDaniel had several articles published, and had recently started practicing the internal fixation technique learned in Switzerland. Well versed in his field, Dr. McDaniel was using the new technique to align and secure broken bones with the use of metal devices and screws, eliminating the use of casts. Dr. McDaniel was at one time, Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California Medical Center, in the Dept. of Orthopedics. At the time of his death, he was presently a consultant orthopedic surgeon at Highland Alameda County Hospital.