Dr. James “Red” Duke—a healthcare TV personality, Life Flight pioneer and responder the day President John F. Kennedy was shot—died Tuesday at the age of 86.
Duke, a clinical services professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, known as UTHealth, gained fame through his nationally syndicated TV news show, "Texas Health Reports," in which he educated viewers about a variety of healthcare topics, according to Memorial Hermann health system.
But the mustachioed doctor, who often donned a cowboy hat and spoke with a Texas drawl, wasn't just a famous face. He also played key roles in history and in advancing medicine in Texas.
“Dr. Duke was one of our country's great doctors,” said Dan Wolterman, CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System, in a statement. “He was a friend, a colleague, and a role model and mentor to a generation of doctors who benefited immensely from his guidance.”
As one of UTHealth Medical School's first faculty members, he established the trauma service at the teaching hospital now known as Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. He helped develop Texas' first air ambulance service, Life Flight, in 1976, and served as Life Flight's medical director for nearly 40 years.
Duke was also instrumental in helping develop Texas' EMS and trauma system, according to the health system.
“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,” said Dr. Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, president of UTHealth and dean of UTHealth Medical School, in a statement. “He never sought to be a leader, but became one naturally through his brilliance, compassion, patience and selflessness.”
Duke also played a critical role in one of the most infamous days in American history. In 1963, he helped save the life of Texas Gov. John Connally at Dallas' Parkland Memorial Hospital, after Connally was injured in the same shooting that killed Kennedy.
He earned an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University in 1950 before serving as an Army tank commander in Germany during the Korean War. He received a divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1955.
While attending seminary, he read a book about Dr. Albert Schweitzer that inspired him to go into academic medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas in 1960.
During his career, he also served on the faculty at UT Southwestern and the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. He worked as a visiting professor and chairman of surgery at Nangarhar University School of Medicine in Afghanistan, where he lived with his family for two years.
Duke was a founding member of the American Trauma Society, according to Memorial Hermann.
He is survived by four children, their mother, a sister, seven grandchildren and a great-grandchild, according to the hospital.
The family requests that any 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 c/o Memorial Hermann Foundation, 929 Gessner, Suite 2650, Houston, TX 77024.
