Remembering a Legend
(News of Note - February 9, 2009) On January 21, 2009, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey became the 14th—and first posthumous—recipient of The Denton A. Cooley Leadership Award. Dr. DeBakey had agreed to accept the award prior to his death in July 2008. With the permission of Mrs. DeBakey, the event went on as planned, with Dr. Richard Wainerdi, President of the Texas Medical Center, accepting the award on behalf of the DeBakey family.
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| Dr. Willerson, Dr. Cooley, and Dr. Wainerdi |
Participating in the richly deserved tribute was Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (via video because of pressing Senate votes), who enjoyed a close association with Dr. DeBakey and played a leadership role in his receipt of the Congressional Gold Medal prior to his death last year. One-time rival, long-time admirer and willing participant in their reconciliation, Dr. Denton A. Cooley, President Emeritus and Surgeon-in-Chief of the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital (THI at SLEH) reflected upon his important association with Dr. DeBakey.
Dr. James T. Willerson, President and Medical Director of THI at SLEH, gave a “State of the Heart” address to share his compelling vision for the future of THI at SLEH. He also introduced Mr. Stuart McGinney, a victim of heart failure and a heart transplant recipient, to remind the audience about the thousands of victims of cardiovascular disease who benefit from the latest advancements in treatment and technology, skillfully applied by THI at SLEH physicians.
Dr. DeBakey became internationally recognized as an ingenious medical inventor and innovator, gifted teacher, premier surgeon, and medical statesman. He received more than 50 honorary degrees and more than 200 awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal and the Congressional Gold Medal. He published more than 1,400 medical articles, chapters and books, and he brought his professional knowledge to bear on public policy.
The event was an inspiring affirmation of Dr. DeBakey’s remarkable contributions to medicine and society, and an important reminder of the high esteem in which he is held. Proceeds from the event, expected to total $450,000, will be used to help uncover basic mechanisms responsible for heart attacks, heart failure and strokes, and to develop new ways to prevent and treat them.
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| Event Co-Chairs Jan and Dan Duncan with Mrs. Katrin DeBakey |
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