By Jones of Lubbock H.C.R. No. 258 77R13984 MMS-D HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Dr. O. Wayne Isom, a native of West Texas and now 1-2 department chairman at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center, has 1-3 built an international reputation as a cardiothoracic surgeon and 1-4 leads one of the most respected heart surgery programs in the 1-5 country; and 1-6 WHEREAS, Born and raised on his family's farm near Idalou, 1-7 some 10 miles east of Lubbock, Dr. Isom attended Texas Tech 1-8 University and graduated from The University of Texas Southwestern 1-9 Medical School; after completing his residency at Parkland Hospital 1-10 in Dallas, Dr. Isom joined the faculty of New York University, 1-11 where he trained with fellow Texan and noted cardiothoracic surgeon 1-12 Dr. Frank Spencer; and 1-13 WHEREAS, Since 1985, when he moved to Weill Medical College 1-14 of Cornell University to become chairman of the cardiothoracic 1-15 surgery department, Dr. Isom has overseen more than 20,000 1-16 open-heart procedures; presently his team does about 1,500 1-17 operations a year, and he personally performs some 300 operations 1-18 annually; and 1-19 WHEREAS, Among the throng of patients who have had the great 1-20 good fortune to be treated by Dr. Isom have been a number of 1-21 celebrities, including talk-show host David Letterman, who 1-22 underwent a quintuple bypass; other well-known individuals have 1-23 included violinist Isaac Stern, news anchor Walter Cronkite, and 1-24 talk-show hosts Larry King and Jack Paar; and 2-1 WHEREAS, A soft-spoken, unassuming man who inspires 2-2 confidence in his patients and who is quick to share credit with 2-3 the staff around him, Dr. Isom speaks appreciatively of the West 2-4 Texas environment and values that shaped him; and 2-5 WHEREAS, The State of Texas can take tremendous pride in 2-6 having figured in the development of a man of such graciousness and 2-7 extraordinary ability, and it is truly a pleasure to honor this 2-8 distinguished surgeon and native son; now, therefore, be it 2-9 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-10 hereby pay tribute to Dr. O. Wayne Isom and extend to him sincere 2-11 best wishes for the years ahead; and, be it further 2-12 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-13 prepared for Dr. Isom as an expression of high regard by the Texas 2-14 House of Representatives and Senate.