Dr. Wakefield cannot qualify as a pioneer in Griggs County in any sense other than that he came here just in time to open the first hospital in Griggs County in 1951.
Kenneth Wakefield, son of John and Margaret Wakefield, was born in Gladstone, Manitoba Canada in 1924. Kenneth's father, John, was a civil engineer who was involved in the first hydroelectric project for the city of Winnipeg, Canada and his mother, Margaret, was Treasurer of Westburn Municipality (county). Dr. Wakefield's grandfather McGregor was the first mayor of Gladstone, Manitoba. The family moved to Winnipeg in 1940 and Kenneth received his MD from the University of Manitoba in 1948. He is the only member of his family to leave Canada to live in the United States. Kenneth Wakefield and Lois LaPlante were married in 1957. Lois 86
LaPlante is the daughter of Bruce and Edna Lewis LaPlante. Bruce LaPlante's parents, William and Rosa LaPlant, came to North Dakota from Kansas in a covered wagon and settled in Tyrol Township. Edna Lewis' family history is published elsewhere in this book. Bruce LaPlante's main interest was a love of farming but he also enjoyed the political scene and he was a lifelong Democrat. Edna Lewis LaPlante was an athletic young woman who at age eleven swam the length of Red Willow Lake. As a great-grandmother she still enjoys swimming though now in a heated pool when visiting at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Shirley (Ed.) Haight of Mesa, Arizona
Lois was born in Binford at the home of her great-aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Otto Pritz. She graduated from Binford High School and North Dakota State University in Fargo, and taught Home Economics Education before her marriage. Dr. and Mrs. Wakefield have three children:
John born in 1959, Charles in 1961 and Dawn in 1964.
One of Dr. Wakefield's main interests in medicine has been in the field of Mental Health. He served in various capacities in the local and state Mental Health organization and was President of the state organization from 1965-1967.
Lois took a two-year course from the University of Chicago and the American Medical Record Association and later received her national rating as a Medical Records Administrator. She serves in this capacity at the Griggs County Hospital and Nursing Home. In 1971 Dr. Wakefield became a member of the newly founded American Board of Family Practice and in 1973 a charter Fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice.
The Wakefields' spare time during the warmer months of the year is spent at their cottage at Red Willow Lake. The cottage has been enjoyed by four generations. It originally belonged to Fred and Belle Lewis who were Lois' grandparents.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 86