Houston Throws Birthday "Bash"
Honors Texas Medical Center

The Texas Medical Center was the honoree at the city of Houston's 165th birthday bash Aug. 30. Hosted by Mayor Lee P. Brown, this year's celebration, "Houston: Here's to Your Health," was held at the downtown Hyatt Regency's grand ballroom and attended by more than 500 well-wishers, including city council members and business and community leaders. The evening's festivities were topped off as the lights were dimmed, and a giant birthday cake covered in candles was carried to the stage as the celebrants sang "Happy Birthday."

Previous city birthday celebrations have honored various groups deemed vital to Houston's standing as the fourth largest city in the nation. This year, six honorees were "spotlighted" at the party. The six were selected from 150 individuals nominated by Texas Medical Center institutions for their outstanding contributions to patient care, education and research. The six finalists included:

• Dr. Michael DeBakey, cardiac pioneer and namesake of The Methodist Hospital's DeBakey Heart Center. Dr. DeBakey, who also is Chancellor Emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine, invented many of the current technologies used in cardiovascular medicine today. He has conducted more than 60,000 surgeries and performed an unprecedented series of medical "firsts," including the first coronary bypass in 1964 and the first heart transplant in 1968.
  
  
• Elizabeth Ghrist, former county commissioner who supported the Harris County Hospital District and its initial planning of two new hospitals. Ghrist served on the board of Memorial Hermann Hospital and is a current member of the Texas Medical Center board of directors, where she has given countless hours of service.
  
  
• Marilyn Lockett, a nurse who cares for patients with spinal-cord injuries at The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research. For many years, Lockett has worked the 3 to 11 p.m. shift. Says Louisa Adelung, TIRR's president, "Marilyn is dedicated, smart, dependable, and understands patient, employee and management needs. I wish we had 20 of her."
  
  
• Dr. John P. McGovern, a practicing physician for 40 years in Houston who also is well known as a researcher, educator, historian, author, humanitarian and philanthropist. Dr. McGovern holds faculty appointments in all six schools of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, as well as at Baylor College of Medicine and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. He has served as editor or on the editorial board of 23 journals and has published 22 books.
  
  
• Abraham Joseph, director of Methodist Diagnostic Hospital's engineering department. Joseph played a key role in the hospital's smooth operation during Tropical Storm Allison. When deep water prevented Joseph from driving to the hospital, he walked several miles to work, frequently through waist-deep water. He sandbagged the lobby, and secured food and water for employees and volunteers who weathered the flood. When the hospital lost power, he repeatedly made trips to a gas station to refill a 55-gallon drum. The hospital ran on emergency power for 18 hours.
  
  
• Allegra Melillo, who was a third-year medical student at Baylor College of Medicine when she founded HOMES - the Houston Outreach, Medicine, Education and Social Services student-run free clinic for Houston's homeless. Today, students from four other universities work with patients on Sunday mornings, under faculty supervision.

"Thanks to these superstars and the many thousands of others in the Texas Medical Center for all they do. Our city is proud indeed of their commitment to others, and their dedication to making the Texas Medical Center the world-renowned center of health care, education and research that it is today," said Mayor Brown.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/09_01_01/page_02.html