In Memorium

Dr. James “Red” Duke Jr.: Medical TV icon witnessed history

Dr. James H. “Red” Duke Jr., who graduated from UT Southwestern Medical School and went on to become a renowned surgeon, medical educator, and Texas icon, died Aug. 25 at age 86.

Dr.  Duke earned his medical degree in 1960, then completed a residency in general surgery at  Parkland Memorial Hospital. He was a member of the surgical team that in November 1963 provided emergency care for Texas Gov. John Connally, wounded on the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

Before accepting an appointment at UT Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Dr. Duke served on the faculty at UT Southwestern Medical Center and the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, where he pursued additional graduate studies in chemical engineering, biochemistry,and computer sciences at Columbia University.

Dr. Duke, the John B. Holmes Professor of Clinical Sciences at UTHealth, was one of the first faculty members at the institution’s medical school. He established the trauma service at the institution’s primary teaching hospital, now called Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. In 1976, he was instrumental in developing Life Flight, the state’s first lifesaving air ambulance service. For almost four decades, he served as Medical Director of Life Flight, a signature program of Memorial Hermann Texas Trauma Institute.

“Dr. Duke was a true pioneer – a talented and tireless surgeon, a dedicated and inspiring educator, and a friend and mentor to everyone he met. He never sought to be a leader, but became one naturally through his brilliance, compassion, patience, and selflessness,” said Dr. Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, President of UTHealth and Dean of UTHealth Medical School.

A founding member of the American Trauma Society, Dr. Duke spent much of his medical career developing an infrastructure to provide better care for injured patients while also focusing on programs to prevent injuries. He played a critical role in the development of the EMS and trauma system in Texas. His pursuits also resulted in serious consideration for the position of U.S. Surgeon General in 1989.

With the nationally syndicated television news program, “Texas Health Reports,” a health care tip program that educated millions, Dr. Duke became one of the most recognized personalities in his field. His distinctive mustache, wire-rimmed glasses, Texas accent, and cowboy hat made Dr. Duke a folk hero combining the personality of an old-fashioned country doctor with the talents of a modern-day surgeon.

“Dr. Duke was one of our country’s great doctors. As we collectively grieve, we also want to extend our sincere gratitude for his relentless and unprecedented dedication and impact on medicine, education and the medical community,” said Dan Wolterman, President and CEO, Memorial Hermann Health System.

Born in Ennis on Nov. 16, 1928, Dr. Duke and his family moved to Hillsboro, where his early jobs included picking cotton, digging ditches, and delivering the Saturday Evening Post and the Dallas Morning News. An Eagle Scout, Dr. Duke got the nickname “Red” for his curly red hair. Growing up, he became friends with Willie Nelson, the country singer who later endowed the Annie and Willie Nelson Professorship in Stem Cell Research at UT Southwestern held by Dr. Eric Olson, Chairman of Molecular Biology and Director of the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine.

Memorial Hermann Life Flight established a worldwide call sign – “Red Duke” – for all Life Flight communications with Air Traffic Control while on Instrument Flight Rules flights. In 2014, UTHealth honored Dr. Duke for his lifetime achievements and announced the establishment of the scholarship in his honor for medical students there. In recent years, Dr. Duke worked with the U.S. military to enhance medical technology and surgical techniques on the battlefield.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests that memorial contributions be directed to the James H. “Red” Duke, Jr. MD Endowed Scholarship Fund, UTHealth Office of Development, P.O. Box 1321, Houston, TX 77251-1321 or to the Memorial Hermann Life Flight Fund.

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