Northbrook physician receives Verbum Award
Dr. Thomas Longabaugh receives the 2012 Verbum Award from Fr. Quang Duc Dinh, rector of the Techny Residence, on Jan. 11 at Techny, Ill.
January 19, 2011 — The Society of the Divine Word has named Dr. Thomas Longabaugh as the 2012 recipient of the Verbum Award for significant contributions to the worldwide missionary organization’s Chicago Province.
In a ceremony on Jan. 11, Longabaugh was recognized for more than 30 years of service in providing medical care for the Divine Word priests and brothers who live at the Divine Word Residence in Techny, Ill.
A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1954, Longabaugh did his residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center (then known as the University of Chicago Hospitals) before establishing his North Shore medical practice in 1967. Longabaugh specializes in internal medicine.
“Dr. Longabaugh, our primary care physician, has seen and cared for hundreds of Society of the Divine Word members, including returning missionaries,” said Rev. Quang Duc Dinh, SVD, rector of the Techny Residence. “Divine Word Missionaries with health problems often come to Techny for care.”
Over the years, Longabaugh has diagnosed and treated a wide variety of illnesses—some seldom seen in the United States, such as malaria, Fr. Quang said.
“Dr. Longabaugh is the 2012 Verbum Award recipient because of his exceptional service, care and dedication for more than three decades,” he said.
The Chicago Province, the largest in the western hemisphere, oversees the work of more than 250 Roman Catholic missionaries working among the economically disenfranchised, immigrants and minorities in numerous states, Canada and the Caribbean, and is a part of more than 6,000 missionaries in 71 countries.
The Verbum Award is periodically given to laymen and women who have collaborated with the SVDs in exceptional ways. Dr. Longabaugh is the 12th recipient of the Verbum Award since its inception in 1996.
More photos of the event are on display in the Photo Gallery.