Ask a Librarian

Power Trio

Dr. Fred Elliott, UT Dental Branch, 1950s

By Matt Richardson, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian A trio of leading medical minds have recently had guides to their archival collections published online. The McGovern Historical Center is pleased to announce the arrival of detailed finding aids for the papers of Dr. George J. Ehni, Dr. Russell J. Blattner, and Dr. Frederick C. Elliott. […]

Read More…

Dr. Richard Wainerdi, 1931-2021

Collage of contact sheet frames featuring Dr. Richard E. Wainerdi in his office. [McGovern Historical Center, IC 002 Texas Medical Center records, Box 56]

by Alethea Drexler, Archives Assistant Lead On March 17, 2021 the Texas Medical Center lost long-time leader Richard E. Wainerdi. Dr. Wainerdi had an interesting and diverse career. Following a stint in the Air Force, Dr. Wainerdi earned a Master’s and then a Ph.D. in engineering at Pennsylvania State University.  He began his career in […]

Read More…

Colonel Bates: enemy of the Klan

By Philip Montgomery Head of McGovern Historical Center Yesterday, Colonel William B. Bates and his role in moving Baylor College of Medicine from Dallas to Houston came up in a conversation with Bryant Boutwell, the John P. McGovern Professor of Oslerian Medicine, at the UT Health Science Center-Houston. Boutwell, an historian and author, described how […]

Read More…

Dr. Cooley's Eisenhower jacket

By Philip Montgomery Head of McGovern Historical Center Today, Dena Houchin, RN, dropped off several of Dr. Denton Cooley’s old military uniforms, including pants, shirts and an Eisenhower jacket,  along with his Johns Hopkins University academic regalia robe, hood and hat. The Johns Hopkins regalia is pretty snazzy, but it was the Eisenhower jacket that […]

Read More…

Tribute to Dr. Schull

Jack Schull in the Special Projects Building mid 1960s [MS 170 Schull Photo Collection, McGovern Historical Center, Texas Medical Center Library]

McGovern Historical Center Staff The McGovern Historical Center has lost a dear friend and staunchest advocate this week, Dr. William “Jack” Schull. He died Tuesday morning at his home. Dr. Schull was the guiding force behind our extensive Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) collection. Using the many contacts that he cultivated during his work in […]

Read More…

How Dr. Cooley Changed Heart Surgery

Sandra Yates Archivist & Special Collections Librarian On November 18, 2016 the Texas Medical Center lost one of its most renowned pioneers in medicine. Dr. Denton A. Cooley revolutionized cardiovascular surgery, transforming open heart surgery from one of the most high-risk and high-mortality medical procedures to a low-risk and common life-saving procedure. “… I think […]

Read More…

Dr. Bertner’s Tuxedo

Sandra Yates Archivist & Special Collections Librarian File this under “Not Your Typical Day in the Archive.” We are currently standardizing how materials are stored in the archive, which means rehousing materials in standard document boxes or relocating oversize materials to the oversize section. Our intern, Albert Duran, began rehousing a few oversize boxes in […]

Read More…

Voice of Bertner

Sandra YatesArchivist and Special Collections Librarian Bertner Avenue runs north and south through the heart of the Texas Medical Center. And at 1.4 miles long, it is one of the longer streets in the TMC. It starts in the north at Baylor College of Medicine and John Freeman Boulevard and ends in the south at […]

Read More…