James H Duke, Jr - RIP my friend

[SabreHorn]

A great man, the world's best surgeon, a great friend and one of the funniest people you've ever talked to. Many don't know, that Jim was a Yell Leader at A&M, went on to Southwestern Theological Seminary to be a Baptist preacher before going to medical school. Fewer are aware that he was the physician on call at Parkland when Kennedy was shot. He would talk about it in private, but always said, "I'm the only one associated with that deal who is still alive, and none of the others died of natural causes". He knew the truth.

He would frequently come to the Texas Exes March 2 auction and spend lots of money. He would say, "I hate givin' y'all money, but damn you have the best paintings".

I have a collection of his quotes that I always told him his kids needed to put on his tombstone. or I would buy Burnt Orange spray paint and stencil and paint it on there myself.

Loved sitting with him on Thanksgiving. particularly when we won. Regardless of school, we lost a great Texan!

 

[WorsterMan]

Sabre,

Jim sounds like someone I too would have been proud to know and call a friend.

May he RIP.

"I'm the only one associated with that deal who is still alive, and none of the others died of natural causes". He knew the truth.

Having done extensive reading of the Kennedy assassination, I would have loved to hear whatever he would or could share about that day.

 

[BananaChipBettor]

He seemed very loved when I watched the Hermann Memorial Life Flight show. Thoughts and prayers to him, his family, friends and all involved.

 

[Dionysus]

I just realized this is the famous Dr “Red” Duke. I didn’t even know the James / Jim name.

RIP Doctor Duke.

 

[WorsterMan]

I just realized this is the famous Dr “Red” Duke. I didn’t even know the James / Jim name.

RIP Doctor Duke.

Thanks Dionysus, "Red" tipped it off for me... I know who he is.

 

[BananaChipBettor]

I didn't even put 2+2 together until I saw the news last night.

 

[Mesohorny]

"From The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, I'm Dr. Red Duke."

An amazing man who lived an amazing life.

 

[SabreHorn]

Worster,

Jim was a lot of things, among them a hunter. He had the Grand Slam of sheep (no Aggie jokes please). He knew guns, ammunition, and thoroughly understood what happened to Kennedy and what had happened to Governor Connally.

The media will focus on LifeFlight, which is a very important part of his legacy, but the political changes he caused in the national medical community reached far beyond "the bird". He stood up to UT administration for the staffing of LifeFlight and basically laughed in the face of protocol and the UT politics telling the powers that be that he wouldn't let the department head of one department operate on his neighbors cat that left paw prints on his 73 Chevy pickup. He demanded excellence in patient care over political favoritism.

He changed the way emergency medicine was handled in this country. His major coup in 1979 was perhaps the biggest political victory for UTHSC ever, yet the administration was too stupid to realize what he accomplished. I assure you that UCLA, Harvard, & Johns Hopkins sat up and noticed.

We had many conversations when The University System offered him the Presidency of the UTSA Medical School. We argued for hours on end, but it all came down to patient care. One interesting thing that came out of those exchanges was the surprise answer when I asked him where his favorite place he and Betty had lived before Houston. "A little place in New Jersey when I was at Columbia. Had four seasons, was like living on a farm out in the country, but I could get to the hospital in 15-20 minutes." I could never get a picture of Jim in NYC.

Before HIV prevented it, he always operated barefooted, and with Waylon, DAC, Hank, Willie, et all blaring in the operating room. Drove those out of state med students crazy.

 

[BananaChipBettor]

Sabre, we might disagree on economics, but we agree your friend was a great man.

 

[NBHorn7]

A very interesting man and excellent doctor. He was a great American and Texan, would have loved to just sit down and talked to him about so many things.