[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 13, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1891-S1892]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    REMEMBERING DR. DAVID C. WHERRY

 Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to 
recognize the remarkable life of Dr. David Wherry.
  Born in Pawnee City, NE, he was the son of the former Nebraska 
Senator Kenneth S. Wherry, who served as the minority leader here in 
the U.S. Senate.
  Dr. Wherry attended Doane College in Crete, NE, before enrolling at 
the U.S. Naval Academy.
  He then chose to go into the medical profession.
  Little did he know the major impact he would have in this field.
  After graduating from George Washington University with his medical 
degree and completing his surgical training, he was commissioned as a 
Medical Corps officer in the U.S. Air Force.
  He then moved overseas for his residency, taking a position as a 
surgical doctor at the 7559th USAF Hospital in Burtonwood, United 
Kingdom.
  He spent more than 2 years there before returning to the United 
States to become a teacher at George Washington University and later 
also at Georgetown University.
  After years of teaching, Dr. Wherry returned to Active Duty during 
Operation Desert Storm and retired in 1993 as a colonel.
  Following his years of service to our country, he returned to 
teaching and academic research.
  Dr. Wherry became renowned in the medical world as a leading 
innovator in minimally invasive surgery, such as laparoscopic 
cholecystectomy on the gallbladder.
  In his research in this area, he published over 50 manuscripts, 3 
book chapters, and produced 2 films.
  Additionally, he helped found laparoscopic cholecystectomy courses 
for servicemembers and trained thousands of military surgeons.
  I want to note that Dr. Wherry was one of the first doctors in the 
United States to perform colonoscopies, making him a leading expert in 
this procedure that is performed on so many Americans and is vital in 
helping to detect and catch diseases like colon cancer.
  International work was important to him, and he was successful in 
helping bring humanitarian aid to hospitals in the Philippines.
  He also collaborated with the Uniformed Services University of the 
Health Sciences, USUHS, and with the University of the Philippines/
Philippine General Hospital in bringing surgical residents to do 
scientific research at USUHS as well as arranged exchanges between 
medical students for training purposes.
  He wanted to share and expand on his work by collaborating with 
others, so he helped found the Society of American Gastrointestinal 
Endoscopic Surgeons.
  He was a member of the Societe Internationale de Chirurgie and 
International Biliary Association.
  On top of all of these efforts, he continued to be a senior surgical 
consultant to the medical division of the U.S. Department of State.
  His work and dedication to improving surgeries around the world and 
for our military men and women has been recognized by the State 
Department and the Department of Defense.
  Both agencies presented him with their Meritorious Honor Award.
  In addition to his place as a leader in the medical world, he was 
also a dedicated husband and father.

[[Page S1892]]

  His wife, Azucena ``Ceny'' Wherry, was an RN whom he married in 1975.
  His son, Kenneth D. Wherry, followed in his father's footsteps and 
joined the military to serve his country, retiring as a lieutenant 
colonel.
  Dr. David Wherry represents the best of Nebraska.
  He was a hard worker who was not afraid to put in long hours.
  Because of his dedication to studying and advancing medicine, he 
changed the world for the better.
  I join all Nebraskans in honoring Dr. Wherry's life and recognizing 
his faithful service to our Nation and his incredible contributions to 
medicine.

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