John H. Drabing, D.O., FAOAO, FACOS (1935-2025)
Dr. Drabing graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 1957 and earned his D.O. degree from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1961. He completed a rotating internship at the Oklahoma Osteopathic Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma and then moved to Ft. Collins, Colorado where he was in family practice for two years. With the opening of Eisenhower Osteopathic Hospital in Colorado Springs, he moved there in 1964 to obtain hospital privileges. In 1966 after two additional years in family practice he entered into an orthopedic residency at Doctors Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Upon completion of his residency in 1969, he returned to Colorado Springs establishing a department of orthopedic surgery at Eisenhower Osteopathic Hospital. Dr. Drabing served two terms as chief of staff and helped oversee the hospital as it tripled in size during the 1970s. He also served on the Colorado Society of Osteopathic Medicine Board of Directors, becoming its president in 1976-1977 and represented Colorado at the AOA House of Delegates from 1975 to 1987.
Dr. Drabing was a member of the KCOM Board of Trustees form 1982 to 1991, serving as vice president for one year and president in 1990-1991. He also received the college’s Alumni of the Year Award in 2001. He served on the AOAO Board for nine years and was president in 1986-1987. In recognition of his contributions to the organization, he received the AOAO’s Knotty Cane Award in both 1991 and 1998. He also served on the ACOS board for three years from 1989 to 1992.
From 1998 through 2005, he represented the Colorado Society of Osteopathic Medicine as a board member of the Colorado Physicians Health Program, which aids impaired health professionals, doctors, nurses and medical students. He also served as a local host to two national meetings of the North American Spine Society in the 1990s.
Dr. Drabing was a founding board member of the El Paso County Medical Society Physicians Foundation as well as a founding board member of the Colorado Springs Osteopathic Foundation in 1984, serving as president in 1989-1990. He remained an active member of the Colorado Springs Osteopathic Foundation until his passing in April 2025. He was a stalwart supporter of Osteopathic Medicine and the Foundation through “thick and thin.”
Walter S. Strode, D.O. Memorial Scholarship
The Walter S. Strode, D.O. Memorial Scholarship is a $1,000.00 scholarship that is awarded annually to one of the tuition scholarship applicants. It is to be used for fees, books, supplies and equipment. This scholarship is named after the late Walter S. Strode, D.O., who was a graduate of Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. This annual scholarship is made possible by the generosity of the Strode family in partnership with our Foundation.