Dr. Judith Kooser and Nicholas Good - 2016 CARITAS AWARD

In medicine and in music, Dr. Judith Kooser and her husband, Nicholas
Good, personify the ideals of the Caritas Award, which recognizes
extraordinary individuals who have deeply influenced and significantly
contributed to the vision, direction and growth of the Topeka community and have reflected the values found in the St. Francis mission statement, creating positive change in the community and supporting St. Francis through donations of service or money.

A radiation oncologist who retired from practice with Radiology and
Nuclear Medicine, LLC, after working 29 years, Dr. Kooser, DABR, worked
at St. Francis Health in the Radiation Oncology Center and also at the
Stormont-Vail Cancer Center. She got a master’s degree in nursing and
worked as a clinical specialist for six years prior to entering medical
school. She received her M.D. in 1981 from Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and completed her residency at Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center. She is board certified by the American Board Radiology in Radiation Oncology.

Dr. Kooser is on the Board of Trustees and previously served on
the Advisory Council of the Easter Seals Capper Foundation. She has also volunteered at the Marian Clinic and serves in multiple ministries including Homebound Visitation and Eucharistic Ministry at Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Topeka. Dr. Kooser enjoys gardening, travel, and cooking and is also an amateur photographer whose work has been featured several times in the annual St. Francis “Celebrating Our Values” calendar.

Nicholas Good is a retired software engineer and CPA who worked
for Payless ShoeSource, Penton Publishing in Overland Park, and Valeo Behavioral Health Care.

Today he is active as a harpsichordist and organist in the area. He
currently is the organist at Christ Church Anglican in Overland Park and previously served at First United Methodist Church in Topeka. He has performed with Kansas City Baroque Consortium, Lawrence Chamber Orchestra, Sunflower Festival Orchestra and La Musique Nomade. His recordings include two CD’s of the solo harpsichord music of Dietrich Buxtehude and Georg Böhm. Since retiring he has been working toward a doctoral degree in organ performance at the University of Kansas.

Mr. Good has served on the board of directors of the Historical
Keyboard Society of North America and the Sunflower Music Festival, and he is an active member of various other musical organizations including Early Music America, the Organ Historical Society, and the American Guild of Organists.

The couple regularly sponsors a program at the Sunflower Music
Festival in Topeka. They are longstanding supporters of the Topeka
and Shawnee County Public Library, the Topeka Rescue Mission, and St. Francis Health. They have two adult daughters. Johannah is a music educator, currently teaching in Colorado, and Amelia is a technical support analyst at Cerner Corporation.