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Regular Session, 2012
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 26
BY REPRESENTATIVE HOFFMANN AND SENATORS ADLEY, ALARIO, ALLAIN,
AMEDEE, APPEL, BROOME, BROWN, BUFFINGTON, CHABERT, CLAITOR,
CORTEZ, CROWE, DONAHUE, DORSEY-COLOMB, ERDEY, GALLOT,
GUILLORY, HEITMEIER, JOHNS, KOSTELKA, LAFLEUR, LONG, MARTINY,
MILLS, MORRELL, MORRISH, MURRAY, NEVERS, PEACOCK, PERRY,
PETERSON, RISER, GARY SMITH, JOHN SMITH, TARVER, THOMPSON,
WALSWORTH, WARD, AND WHI TE
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the death of John Clifton McDonald,
M.D., chancellor emeritus of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
at Shreveport and dean emeritus of the School of Medicine in Shreveport.
WHEREAS, it was with deep regret and profound sorrow that the members of the
Legislature of Louisiana learned of the death of John Clifton McDonald, M.D., on Saturday,
December 31, 2011, at the age of eighty-one; and
WHEREAS, on July 25, 1930, John Clifton McDonald was born in Baldwyn,
Mississippi, and he earned a bachelor of science degree from Mississippi College in 1951
and his medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1955;
and
WHEREAS, after earning his medical degree, Dr. McDonald interned at Confederate
Memorial Medical Center, now LSU Hospital in Shreveport; before his general surgery
residency at State University of New York at Buffalo, Dr. McDonald served his country for
two years as a flight surgeon in the United States Air Force at McGuire Air Force Base in
Trenton, New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McDonald returned to Louisiana in 1968 for a faculty appointment
at the Tulane University School of Medicine, where he remained until 1977, when he moved
to Shreveport to become professor and chairman of the department of surgery at the
Louisiana State University School of Medicine; as head of surgery at the academic health
center, Dr. McDonald expanded the institution's educational, research, and patient care
dimensions; in addition to being a major pioneer in the field of organ transplantation and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 26
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bringing the practice to northwest Louisiana, Dr. McDonald established the Regional Burn
Center and Level One Trauma Center and integrated the Overton Brooks Veterans
Administration Medical Center and the E. A. Conway Hospital into the surgical residency
program at LSU, among many other memorable and historic accomplishments; and
WHEREAS, in 2000, Dr. McDonald was appointed as the first Shreveport chancellor
of the LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport, serving simultaneously as chief executive
officer of the campus and the dean of the medical school in Shreveport; under his leadership,
the LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport grew tremendously and was widely praised
as a model for excellence; and
WHEREAS, for more than fifty years, Dr. McDonald taught many medical residents
in general surgery and mentored hundreds of medical students, and even after he became
chancellor, he still met once a week with surgery residents to review cases; in 2004, his
dedication was recognized with the establishment of the John C. McDonald, M.D., Endowed
Chair in Surgery; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McDonald authored hundreds of contributions to scientific
literature, was a member and leader of numerous professional organizations, and was the
deserving recipient of countless honors and awards for his highly significant contributions
to his profession; and
WHEREAS, in addition to his many professional achievements, Dr. McDonald was
a devoted family man and a beloved husband, father, and grandfather; he was an avid reader
who enjoyed fishing and spending time with his family at Lake Bisteneau; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McDonald was preceded in death by his parents, Ethel Knight and
Edgar McDonald; his brother, Edgar Lee McDonald; and his sister, Martha Mulrooney; he
is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Martha Dennis McDonald; three daughters,
Melissa McDonald, Karen McDonald Lairmore and her husband, Dr. Terry Lairmore, and
Dr. Martha McDonald Whyte and her husband, Dr. William Whyte; five grandchildren,
Daniel, Ashley, and Sarah Lairmore and John Hayden and Emma Rose Whyte; and many
other relatives and friends; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McDonald is profoundly missed for his remarkable leadership, his
brilliant intellect, and all of the incomparable talents that he lent to his fellow citizens as a ENROLLEDHCR NO. 26
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dignified doctor and scholar whose loyalty and dedication to his profession and his students
were inspiring and unwavering; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McDonald represented all that is good about Louisiana as a man
with unique gifts and a charitable spirit who shared his abilities with his community, state,
and nation, and he is terribly missed but will never be forgotten.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the death of John Clifton McDonald, M.D.,
chancellor emeritus of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport
and dean emeritus of the School of Medicine in Shreveport, and does hereby recognize that
the life and work of this extraordinary gentleman will forever be a source of deep pride and
honor for the city of Shreveport, the state of Louisiana, and the United States of America.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to the family of John Clifton McDonald, M.D.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE