Dr. Wendell completed his undergraduate study at the University of Wisconsin and attended medical school at Washington University. He completed his residency at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore. Dr. Wendell was a cofounder of Kirkpatrick Family Care, along with Dr. Neal Kirkpatrick in 1953.

In Longview, Dr. Wendell served as the team physician for R.A. Long High School and was a member of the Longview School Board.  He was active in the local Boy Scouts where he was a Scout Master and enjoyed taking troops to national scouting events. He is also a member in the SW Washington Symphony and acted as a guest conductor.

Dr. Wendell has five children, four of whom are medical professionals, including Dr. Donald Kirkpatrick a local gastroenterologist and Dr. Steve Kirkpatrick a dentist. His daughter Nan is a registered nurse and his son Jeffrey is a physician in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. Wendell's oldest son has just concluded a long career with the F.B.I.

Dr. Wendell is now retired and lives at Silver Lake. In retirement Wendell is lifting weights, learning to play the piano and helping children at Toutle learn to read. He also proivdes violin lessons to interested kids and plays golf with his sons. He has written a book about the founding of the Wilson Sporting Goods Company.