Paul Marks owns Marks Physical Therapy, 2311 Wakarusa Drive, a name he chose in part because of his brother's longtime business success. Hes blazed the trail, and Im

The Marks brothers both live in Lawrence, both work in health care and both consider family to be about the most important bond around.

And they’re not going anywhere.

Dr. Mark Marks, a veterinarian and co-owner of Wakarusa Veterinary Hospital, is expanding his business at 1825 Wakarusa Drive.

Paul Marks, a physical therapist, owns and operates Marks Physical Therapy at 2311 Wakarusa Drive, a 5-year-old operation that focuses on spine strengthening and therapy for other back and neck problems.

Mark considers his brother a bona fide expert not only in spinal therapy, but also as a valued confidant and authority on all things business-related.

Paul, meanwhile, sees his veterinarian sibling as a consummate professional and, of course, his best friend.

“He and I both approach our work the same way,” Paul said Wednesday, between appointments at his therapy office, outfitted with four high-tech machines used to isolate back and neck muscles. “You’ve just got to listen, look at their body language, detect, look at all the clues and put it all together.

“While his training is with five different organisms, and for me it’s only one – or two, if you count male and female – it’s still just listening to what patients have to say and looking to see if the clinical picture matches that.”

The two brothers moved to Lawrence in 1968, when their father landed the job as pastor of Antioch Baptist Church on Iowa Street. Mark graduated from Lawrence High School in 1971, and Paul, in 1976.

Both found their way to the University of Oklahoma, where Mark earned a full scholarship by wrestling and working as manager for the wrestling team on his way to earning a bachelor’s degree in physics and chemistry.

His younger brother picked up assistance with tuition, room and board by working security at OU’s fabled Owen Field, home both to the Sooners football team and, yes, Paul – the one student on campus who could list his address as 180 W. Brooks St.

Coach Barry Switzer may have felt like he lived at the stadium, but Paul actually did live at the stadium.

“I had a room in the old track locker room, above the visiting football team’s locker room,” said Paul, who earned a physical therapy degree. “Sometimes they had to rely on me to let their cars out at night, after staying up watching film until all hours. (Switzer) was OK. He didn’t yell at me or anything like that.”

Mark, armed with his education, went into the Army, and spent six years on active duty and nearly 24 more in the Reserves, retiring as a colonel. He served 10 months as theater veterinarian during Operation Iraqi Freedom, responsible for food safety, food quality, water safety and bioterrorism issues working with 27 countries in the region.

He has been back in Lawrence since 1989, and working on Wakarusa Drive with business partner Dr. Kristi Rowland since 1996. Expansion has always been in the plan, and this latest project will add 2,400 square feet of space – that’s 22 dog runs, two exam rooms, some offices and a training area – to the building that now covers 3,600 square feet.

“We’re not going anywhere,” Mark said. “We have businesses that anchor us right here. I can’t envision living anywhere else.”