FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 23, 2008
CONTACT: Matt Mackowiak
Sen. Hutchison, President Bush, Congressional Leaders Present Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. DeBakey
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) joined President George W. Bush and the bicameral Congressional leadership to present the Congressional Gold Medal to world renowned heart surgeon Dr. Michael E. DeBakey at a ceremony in the Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C.
“I worked with Congressman Green, Congressman Burgess, and our Texas delegation to pass legislation to award Dr. DeBakey the Congressional Gold medal,” said Sen. Hutchison. “Dr. DeBakey is a legend in the field of medicine. He is one of the most accomplished and innovative surgeons in our nation’s history.”
“I would like to thank Senator Hutchison for her leadership and Representatives Burgess and Culberson for their assistance in passing this legislation,” Rep. Green stated. “Dr. DeBakey’s life proves that not only can one person impact the world, but he can also change the world for the good of all. If we did not have the Congressional Gold Medal, we would have to create one for Dr. Michael DeBakey for his lifetime of remarkable achievements and exceptional service.”
“Dr. DeBakey is a giant in medicine and mankind who had the compassion to care for his patients,” said Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. “He combined it with creativity and courage, and changed medicine for the better. Today, a grateful Nation thanks him with a Gold Medal for his service. I was honored to work with Senator Hutchinson to make this recognition a reality.”
Delivering remarks at the ceremony were President Bush, Sen. Hutchison, Congressman Al Green (D-TX), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). After the presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal, Dr. DeBakey delivered remarks in accepting the medal. The Congressional Gold Medal is the nation’s highest civilian honor.
On October 2, 2007, Congress passed S. 474, legislation authored by Sen. Hutchison to award the medal to Dr. DeBakey. President Bush signed the bill into law on October 16, 2007. Sen. Hutchison first introduced the legislation in 2004, again in 2005 and once more on February 1, 2007.
Dr. DeBakey, 99, is Chancellor Emeritus of the Baylor College of Medicine and Director of the DeBakey Heart Center at Baylor. Sen. Hutchison introduced the bill in recognition of Dr. DeBakey’s many outstanding achievements and pioneering efforts in cardiac and vascular health. Dr. DeBakey’s innovative research and surgical techniques revolutionized the field of cardiovascular medicine. He is recognized internationally for inventing and refining several medical devices and procedures used daily to save lives. Two of his most significant inventions include the roller pump—an essential component of the heart-lung machine—and the DeBakey Ventricular Assist Device (VAD)—an apparatus implanted into the heart to increase blood flow.
Dr. DeBakey helped develop the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M.A.S.H.) units that saved thousands of lives during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, and helped establish the Veterans Affairs Medical Center System. Dr. DeBakey has served as an advisor to almost every president of the past fifty years, and he has received numerous awards from educational institutions, civic organizations and governments worldwide, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction in 1969, and the National Medal of Science in 1987.
Sen. Hutchison introduced legislation in 2003 to rename the Houston VA medical center after Dr. DeBakey. That bill became law on December 6, 2003.
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