Dallas Safari Club to Honor Dr. Red Duke
Dallas Safari Club 10.07.14
Physician, media personality, hunter and ardent conservationist, Dr. James Henry “Red” Duke of Houston has been selected to receive the Dallas Safari Club’s (DSC) highest award.
Duke, 84, will receive the Peter Hathaway Capstick Hunting Heritage Award during the DSC convention and sporting expo, Jan. 15-18, in Dallas.
DSC and the Dallas Ecological Foundation present the Capstick Award to recognize exemplary leadership in conservation, education, hunting, humanitarian causes, research, permanent endowments and charitable giving.
“Most people know Dr. Red Duke from his nationally syndicated ‘Texas Health Reports’ and the PBS series ‘Bodywatch.’ He’s one of the most recognizable people in medicine,” said Ben Carter, DSC executive director. “But many people don’t know that he’s also an avid sportsman and dedicated volunteer for wildlife conservation.”
Duke has been especially devoted to wild sheep restoration. He is a founder, past president and honorary lifetime director of the Texas Bighorn Society, which spearheaded successful desert sheep initiatives in West Texas. He has served in leadership roles for the Wild Sheep Foundation and Boone and Crockett Club. The Sportsman’s Club of Texas, Shikar Safari Foundation and now DSC have presented him with their most prestigious awards.
Duke said, “Man is here and he has needs, but so do the wildlife. I really enjoy participating in activities to enhance the opportunity of wildlife to live in the best cohabitation with man.”
As a hunter, Duke collected the difficult North American grand slam of wild sheep. He is especially fond of hunting Dall’s sheep with many hunts under his belt so far, and he has three different sheep species in the Boone and Crockett records book.
Duke’s professional accomplishments are extensive with a distinguished and still-active career as a trauma surgeon and professor. He established Houston’s Hermann Hospital Life Flight operations in 1976 and he remains the medical director of its trauma and emergency services. He is a founding member of the American Trauma Society and is an advanced trauma life-support instructor for the American College of Surgeons. Duke also is an extraordinary communicator, working tirelessly to educate the public on health issues.
The Capstick Award is named for the well-known American author whose defense of hunting and conservation made him an outdoor legend. Previous recipients of the award include Harry Tennison of Fort Worth, Texas, Baron Bertrand des Clers of France, President Theodore Roosevelt, Dr. Ian Player of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, the Boone and Crockett Club, Hubert Thummler of Mexico City, Dan Pedrotti of Corpus Christi, Texas, Christiane Underberg of Rheinberg, Germany, and John and Chrissie Jackson of Metairie, La.
The DSC convention and sporting expo, Jan. 15-18, will feature seminars, auctions, banquets, entertainment and awards. The public-welcome exhibit hall will be the largest in the event’s history. It all serves as the primary fundraiser for the club’s mission to conserve wildlife and wilderness lands, educate youth and the general public, and promote and protect the rights and interests of hunters worldwide.
For more information, visit www.biggame.org.
Contact
Steve Wagner, Blue Heron Communications, 800-654-3766 or steve@blueheroncomm.com
