R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey has consistently focused
1-2 worldwide attention on the State of Texas--and in particular on
1-3 Baylor College of Medicine, The Methodist Hospital, and the Texas
1-4 Medical Center in Houston--through his achievements as a premier
1-5 surgeon, a gifted and dedicated teacher, a medical inventor, and an
1-6 international medical statesman; and
1-7 WHEREAS, Thousands of lives have been saved by this
1-8 trailblazing physician through the surgeries he has performed and
1-9 the knowledge he has shared with medical students and physicians,
1-10 as well as by his innovative surgical techniques and his invention
1-11 of more than 50 surgical instruments; and
1-12 WHEREAS, A native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, where he was
1-13 born on September 7, 1908, Dr. DeBakey was a 23-year-old medical
1-14 student at the Tulane University School of Medicine when he
1-15 invented the roller pump, which later became an essential component
1-16 of the heart-lung machine, a device that made open-heart surgery
1-17 possible; and
1-18 WHEREAS, He volunteered for military service during World War
1-19 II and was stationed in Europe, achieving the rank of colonel in
1-20 the surgeon general's office; his recommendations were instrumental
1-21 in the development of mobile army surgical hospitals, or MASH
1-22 units; for his wartime contributions Dr. DeBakey was awarded the
1-23 Legion of Merit; and
1-24 WHEREAS, After completing his military service, this
2-1 remarkable humanitarian recommended the creation of specialized
2-2 medical centers throughout the United States to treat wounded
2-3 military personnel, and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center System
2-4 was developed; in addition, as a member of the Hoover Commission
2-5 and its task force on medical services, he initiated efforts that
2-6 led to the creation of the National Library of Medicine; and
2-7 WHEREAS, Already a noted physician, Dr. DeBakey came to Texas
2-8 in 1948 to serve as chairman of surgery at Baylor College of
2-9 Medicine in Houston; during the 1950s, he developed many of the
2-10 surgical procedures that are common today; and
2-11 WHEREAS, Using Dacron and his wife's sewing machine, Dr.
2-12 DeBakey made grafts and used them to repair aneurysms of the aorta;
2-13 he also performed the first operation to remove deposits from the
2-14 carotid artery in the neck, marking the first time that surgery
2-15 could be used to treat strokes; and
2-16 WHEREAS, In 1998, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey celebrated his 90th
2-17 birthday and his 50th year at Baylor College of Medicine and in
2-18 Texas; and
2-19 WHEREAS, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey has devoted his life to
2-20 sharing his knowledge, wisdom, and expertise to benefit humanity,
2-21 and in doing so he has saved thousands of lives and enhanced the
2-22 community, the state, and the world he lives in; now, therefore, be
2-23 it
2-24 RESOLVED, That it is indeed a privilege for the members of
2-25 this chamber to welcome Dr. Michael E. DeBakey to the State Capitol
2-26 on January 25, 1999; and, be it further
2-27 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
3-1 Legislature hereby pay tribute to this esteemed gentleman for his
3-2 distinguished medical career and extend to him sincere best wishes
3-3 for continued success and happiness in the years to come; and, be
3-4 it further
3-5 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-6 prepared for Dr. DeBakey as an expression of high regard by the
3-7 Texas House of Representatives.
Hochberg
Laney Glaze Moreno of El Paso
Alexander Goodman Morrison
Allen Goolsby Mowery
Alvarado Gray Naishtat
Averitt Green Najera
Bailey Greenberg Nixon
Berman Grusendorf Noriega
Bonnen Gutierrez Oliveira
Bosse Haggerty Olivo
Brimer Hamric Palmer
Brown of Kaufman Hardcastle Pickett
Brown of Brazos Hartnett Pitts
Burnam Hawley Puente
Capelo Heflin Ramsay
Carter Hilbert Rangel
Chavez Hilderbran Reyna of Bexar
Chisum Hill Reyna of Dallas
Christian Hinojosa Ritter
Clark Hochberg Sadler
Coleman Hodge Salinas
Cook Homer Seaman
Corte Hope Shields
Counts Howard Siebert
Crabb Hunter Smith
Craddick Hupp Smithee
Crownover Isett Solis of Cameron
Cuellar Janek Solis of Bexar
Culberson Jones of Brazos Solomons
Danburg Jones of Lubbock Staples
Davis of Harris Jones of Dallas Swinford
Davis of Dallas Junell Talton
Delisi Keel Telford
Denny Keffer Thompson
Deshotel King of Parker Tillery
Driver King of Uvalde Truitt
Dukes Krusee Turner of Coleman
Dunnam Kuempel Turner of Harris
Dutton Lengefeld Uher
Edwards Lewis of Tarrant Uresti
Ehrhardt Lewis of Orange Van de Putte
Eiland Longoria Walker
Elkins Luna West
Ellis McCall Williams
Farabee McClendon Wilson
Farrar McReynolds Wise
Flores Madden Wohlgemuth
Gallego Marchant Wolens
Garcia Maxey Woolley
George Merritt Yarbrough
Giddings Moreno of Harris Zbranek
_______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 43 was adopted by the House on
January 25, 1999, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House