John "Doc" Lavan, M.D., was a celebrated Navy veteran, humanitarian and professional baseball player whose career spanned 12 seasons with four different major league teams from 1913 to 1924.
Born in Grand Rapids in 1890 and a graduate of Grand Rapids High School (later Central H.S.), Doc went on to study at Hope College and the University of Michigan Medical School.
At Michigan he played for legendary manager and baseball executive Branch Rickey. Rickey, who is best known as the executive who signed Jackie Robinson and broke the color barrier in baseball, brought Lavan along to professional baseball in St. Louis after accepting his first major league manager post.
A practicing medical doctor, Lavan served as a lieutenant surgeon with the U.S. Navy during both World War I and WWII while also playing baseball. He later worked as a chief public medical officer in six U.S. cities, including Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids.
Lavan was instrumental in developing a whooping cough vaccine, and also served as Director of Research for the National Foundation of Infantile Paralysis (polio) before his death in 1952 at the age of 61.
? Before his heralded medical career, Doc played in 1,163 major league games over 12 seasons, and most of them at shortstop. He had a lifetime batting average of .245 while playing for the St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Athletics, Washington Senators and St. Louis Cardinals. He had his best season in 1920 hitting .289 with 32 extra base hits and 63 RBI. He was part of a World Series-winning Philadelphia team coached by another baseball legend, Connie Mack.
? He is one of just a handful of pro baseball players/military veterans to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.