The University of Kansas Hospital plans to name a catheterization laboratory inside the new $77-million Center for Advanced Heart Care after Dr. Lynn Kindred, and the physician’s response is simple.

“It’s very nice,” he said. “I appreciate it a lot.”

Kindred, a Kansas University graduate who played on the 1950s KU men’s basketball team that included Wilt Chamberlain, is co-founder of Mid-America Cardiology, a group of physicians acquired several years ago by the hospital.

“Dr. Kindred has his roots at KU and at KU Medical Center,” said Janice Benjamin, vice president for development for the hospital. “Coming back to KU was like coming home. The hospital truly wanted to honor him for his legacy, for his work and for the fact that the cath lab was really where he spent most of his time.”

The 238,000-square-foot facility, set to be completed in the fall, will house cardiologists and cardiovascular, vascular and thoracic surgeons. It will include 100 beds for intensive care, inpatient acute care and outpatient procedures. The hospital is about halfway to meeting its $10 million fundraising goal for the center, which also will be paid for with operating revenue and bonds. The hospital also has raised about $250,000 in a $1.5-million campaign to equip the lab honoring Kindred.

Kindred is one to work behind the scenes, though his quiet influence is great, said William A. Reed, founder of MidAmerica Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons and chairman of cardiovascular diseases at the hospital.

The 1956-57 Kansas University basketball team included, back row from left, Gene Elstun, Gary Thompson, Lynn Kindred and Eddie Dater; middle row from left, Gary Mowry, Wilt Chamberlain and Lew Johnson; and front row from left, Larry Kelley and Joe Ensley. The squad picked up KU's 800th victory, defeating SMU in March.

“In a successful practice, there has to be someone who sets the standards for friendliness, openness and congeniality,” Reed said. “Lynn is that person.”

An Emporia native, Kindred received an undergraduate degree in chemistry from KU in 1959. He played on the KU basketball team from 1955-59. And he graduated from KU’s medical school in 1963. He spent many years at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City.

Kindred has extended his help to friends.

He recalled Chamberlain’s return to KU in 1998, when he hung his No. 13 KU jersey in Allen Fieldhouse. Chamberlain spent an evening with his former teammates.

During the visit, Chamberlain relayed his heart problems to Kindred. And the physician offered his help. Kindred told Chamberlain to send him his medical information.

“He kept saying: I’m going to send the information,” Kindred recalled.

But Chamberlain died before he ever sent it.

Kindred, who spent years working in a cath lab, said his focus had always been on patient care, which the 68-year-old continues by working part time.

And though the program has grown, Kindred said the aim was to make it feel small and friendly to patients.

“Our group has always been focused on making sure the patients get the best care they can,” he said.