One of his most lauded accomplishments was the establishment of the Burn Treatment Center in 1973, now called the Nathan Speare Regional Burn Treatment Center. It was the first such center in the region and one of only several around the country.
As soon as Dr. Loucks stepped into his role as president, he started moving forward. He hired more administrative staff while balancing a construction project.
In 1971, the northwest wing of the hospital was dedicated, creating a new X-ray department, a pediatric and cardiac unit, modern inpatient rooms, and an outpatient clinic.
The medical center became the first general hospital in the nation in the 1970s to install noninvasive fetal-monitoring equipment.
But the one change he was most proud of, according to his wife, Dolores, was installing a solar-energy system in 1981, before being environmentally friendly was trendy. The system supplied large quantities of hot water for the burn center, regional laundry, and domestic water supply.
After he retired in 1985, Dr. Loucks took some courses in geriatric medicine but was not able to get too involved because of his declining health. But he kept up on medicine throughout his retirement and subscribed to various medical journals and magazines.
"He was very, very serious, very work-oriented," his wife said. "He read about everything."
Dr. Loucks was born in Tarentum, Allegheny County, and raised mostly in Ohio before his parents moved to Longport, Atlantic County, during his last year of high school. He graduated from Atlantic City High School in 1948.
After graduating from Muhlenberg College in 1952, Dr. Loucks studied medicine at Jefferson Medical College, where he earned his medical degree in 1956.
Dr. Loucks served four years in the Navy Medical Corps, retiring in 1961 as a medical officer of the Naval Air Material Center in Philadelphia with the rank of lieutenant.
After completing his residency in internal medicine at Jefferson Medical College in 1963, Dr. Loucks went to work as director of medical education at St. Agnes Hospital in Philadelphia.
Besides his wife, Dr. Loucks is survived by a son, James M.; a daughter, Linda L. Roberts; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. A daughter, Kim, died in 1995.
Services were private.
Contact staff writer Claudia Vargas at 856-779-3917 or cvargas@phillynews.com.
