B&C Member Spotlight — Dr. "Red" Duke

A larger-than-life Texan, medical pioneer, and ardent conservationist, Dr. Red Duke left a lasting legacy in the fields of medicine and conservation.

Since its founding in 1887, the Boone and Crockett Club has had some colorful members. A few have the ability to make a lasting impression on all those they meet, from U.S. presidents to country music stars to school children. James “Red” Duke is one of those members.

In 1963, while he was a resident at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Duke was the first surgeon to receive the mortally wounded President John F. Kennedy and then attended to Texas Governor John Connally, who was also shot during the assassination. Duke's quick thinking and skilled care were instrumental in saving Connally's life.

Duke was an Eagle Scout, an ordained minister, a medical missionary, a conservationist, a hunting guide, and a tank commander. With his trademark bottle-brush mustache, wire-rimmed glasses, and Texas twang, Duke’s presence was unforgettable, even though he shied from the spotlight. And he loved wild places. As president of both the Boone and Crockett Club and the Wild Sheep Foundation—at the same time—Duke worked to put wild sheep back into West Texas and helped the Club celebrate its centennial anniversary with the purchase of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch. What you are about to read is the much-abbreviated story of one of the Club’s most active and beloved members.

In the Beginning

James Henry "Red" Duke Jr. was born on November 16, 1928, in Ennis, Texas. His family later moved to Hillsboro, where a young Duke picked cotton, dug ditches, and became the sole agent for the Saturday Evening Post and the Dallas Morning News in his area. It was during this time that he acquired his nickname “Red” due to his curly red hair. When he traveled to Hill County to find a new fishing hole or to quench his wanderlust, he’d run into a young Willie Nelson. The two became lifelong friends, with Duke serving as Nelson’s medical director for Farm Aid concerts and Nelson’s tapes providing the background music while Duke performed in the operating room.

After graduating from Hillsboro High School, Duke attended Texas A&M University and graduated in 1950. He then served for two years as an Army tank commander in Germany during the Korean War. It was here that he discovered his personal motto. “I learned this in the National Guard: Stay in the high grass and don’t raise your head in the same place twice.”

Upon returning to the United States, he felt compelled to pursue religious studies and enrolled in the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. Duke earned his divinity degree in 1955 but soon realized that preaching wasn't his calling. A tornado that destroyed the church where he was supposed to practice preaching seemed to confirm his doubts.

The Trauma Surgeon

Inspired by a book about Albert Schweitzer, Duke decided to pursue a career in medicine. He enrolled at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, earning his M.D. in 1960. Duke completed his internship in internal medicine and residency in general surgery at Dallas' Parkland Memorial Hospital in 1965.

During his residency, Duke found himself at the center of a pivotal moment in American history. On November 22, 1963, he was on call at Parkland Hospital when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Duke was the first surgeon to receive the mortally wounded president and then attended to Texas Governor John Connally, who was also shot during the attack. Duke's quick thinking and skilled care were instrumental in saving Connally's life. Duke and Governor Connally became close friends and hunting partners.

Following his residency, Duke began his academic career in 1966 as an assistant professor of surgery at UT Southwestern Medical School. He later moved to New York, joining the faculty at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. From 1970 to 1972, Duke took his medical expertise overseas, serving as a visiting professor and later chairman of surgery at Nangarhar University School of Medicine in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. While there, he collected a number of 200-year-old rifles used by Afghan troops against the British.

Upon returning to the United States in 1972, Duke joined the faculty of the newly established University of Texas Medical School at Houston (now known as McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston). Duke played a critical role in establishing the Life Flight air ambulance service at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. Duke was instrumental in developing the trauma service at the hospital, which would become one of the nation's leading trauma centers. He was a founding member of the American Trauma Society and worked tirelessly to develop better infrastructure for injured patients while also focusing on injury prevention programs. His work played a critical role in the development of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and trauma system in the state of Texas.

In the 1980s and 1990s, he became a familiar face to millions of Americans through his nationally syndicated television program, “Texas Health Reports.” Duke educated viewers on a wide range of health topics, from kidney stones to proper nutrition. His folksy humor and down-to-earth explanations made complex medical information accessible to the general public.

The Conservationist

Beyond his remarkable medical career, Dr. Duke was also an ardent conservationist. From an early age, he hunted. “I hunted as a little bitty boy with my father,” he said. “I would laughingly say Dad was too cheap to own a bird dog because he had me.” One of Duke's most notable conservation achievements was founding the Texas Bighorn Society, an organization that played a crucial role in the successful reintroduction of bighorn sheep to West Texas.

Duke certainly loved Texas, but his conservation efforts didn’t end at the state line. In 1986, he served as president of the Wild Sheep Foundation (formerly the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep). From 1985-1989, Duke served as president of the Boone and Crockett Club. Prior to becoming president, he served on a number of the Club’s committees, including editorial and historical, ethics, strategic planning, and awards. While at the helm of the Club, he worked on the purchase of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch and established research programs there in collaboration with the University of Montana in Missoula.

Listen to Red Duke's Interview about the Boone and Crockett Club

As an avid hunter himself, Duke understood the important role that responsible, ethical hunting could play in conservation efforts. He advocated for hunting as a tool for wildlife management and as a means of connecting people with nature. When hunting season was on the horizon, colleagues knew that when they saw Duke in the gym he was getting ready to go hunting. Duke even went so far as to get an Alaskan assistant guiding license in 1981. According to Big Game Records LIVE, Duke has seven record-book entries, including a sheep Grand Slam.

Before he died in 2015, he was awarded the Peter Hathaway Capstick Hunting Heritage Award for his exemplary leadership in conservation, education, hunting, humanitarian causes, research, and charitable giving. In his acceptance speech, Duke spoke from the heart. “I was born right before the Great Depression, and you learned during those years that whatever you had was precious. When I got older and got involved in wildlife, it was obvious I was just doing what I felt like God wanted me to do. You know God created this unbelievably wonderful world in which we find ourselves and all the other creatures on it. We must learn to take care of it.”

Red with his pronghorn, taken in Hudspeth County, Texas, in 2007.

On August 25, 2015, Dr. James "Red" Duke passed away at the age of 86, leaving behind a legacy that continues to shape medicine and healthcare in Texas and beyond. In recognition of his immense contributions, the Memorial Hermann Texas Trauma Institute was officially renamed the Red Duke Trauma Institute in 2016.

To celebrate Duke’s commitment to conservation, the Boone and Crockett Club signed an agreement with Texas A&M University in March 2017 to create the Boone and Crockett Dr. Red Duke Wildlife Conservation and Policy Program. As a result, the Red Duke fellowships have expanded the existing Boone and Crockett Club professorship program in wildlife and fisheries sciences at A&M. This unique program partners with the Bush School of Government and Public Service, preparing students to actively engage and become leaders in wildlife and conservation policy as soon as they graduate. Students who complete the five-year program earn their master’s in public service and administation.

“He was humble, driven to help others and to leave this a better world than he found it.”
— George H.W. Bush

For those lucky enough to know Dr. Duke, they will never forget him. The man most certainly left an impression. His impact on trauma care, medical education, and public health awareness has been lasting and profound. His love of the great outdoors and being in God’s country is only matched by his lasting contributions to the conservation of those wild places.

Member Spotlights

Boone and Crockett Club members have come from a cross-section of famous accomplished people whose lives and careers have written and recorded the history of this country since the late 19th Century. They have been naturalists, scientists, explorers and sportsmen, writers and academicians, artists, statesmen and politicians, generals, bankers, financiers, philanthropists, and industrialists. Their diversity of ideas and activities during their careers have made the Boone and Crockett Club rich in its fellowship and achievements. To read more member spotlights, just click here. 

PJ DelHomme writes and edits content from his home in western Montana. He runs Crazy Canyon Media and Crazy Canyon Journal.