[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14621]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         THE JOHN WAYNE IN SCRUBS--DR. JAMES HENRY ``RED'' DUKE

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 18, 2015

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on 25 August 2015, the Great State of 
Texas lost one of its greatest sons. A world class trauma surgeon, 
educator and family man, Dr. James ``Red'' Duke is a legend of the 
Houston and Texas A&M communities.
  I was deeply saddened to hear of the loss of this good man and my 
friend.
  Dr. Duke--or as I liked to call him ``the John Wayne in scrubs''--was 
Texan to the core. His trademark bristly mustache, gold rimmed glasses, 
lanky Texas swagger and heavy twang were second only to his colorful 
personality.
  I met Dr. Duke in the '80s when he appeared as an expert witness in 
criminal cases in my courtroom. (I was a felony court judge.)
  A few years later we teamed up as doctor and judge to teach high 
school students lessons about drunk driving.
  Working with him to make those kids think twice about their decisions 
is something I will never forget.
  But while Dr. Duke may have been a straight shooter from humble 
roots, he was also one of the most celebrated folks in his field. He 
founded the Life Flight air ambulance service, wrote over forty 
publications, eighteen textbook chapters and gave almost 600 lectures. 
He became a household name through his educational TV series Bodywatch 
and the Texas Health Reports.
  A man dedicated to serving others, Dr. Duke completed a two-year tour 
of duty as a tank officer in the 2nd Armored Division, before returning 
home from Germany to enter a theological seminary in 1955.
  Shortly thereafter he switched from one life-saving vocation to 
another, qualifying as a physician and taking up a residency at the 
Parkland Memorial Hospital, where in 1963 he was the first surgeon to 
receive President Kennedy after he was shot on that fateful day in 
Dallas.
  For the next 50 years, Dr. Duke dedicated himself to treating trauma 
victims and educating young doctors, while in his spare time, 
generously giving his time to the Boy Scouts and wildlife conservation 
efforts.
  In 1989 he was considered for the position of Surgeon General of the 
United States, one year after being named Surgeon of the Year by the 
James F Mitchell Foundation.
  While the United States did not receive the pleasure of Dr. Duke's 
service in this role, we in Texas were happy to have him stay. We were 
fortunate to call Red our own.
  He was bigger than life.
  He was ``John Wayne in scrubs.''
  And that's just the way it is.

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