THE FIRST ANNUAL OPEN DOOR MISSION FOUNDATION
MICHAEL E. DEBAKEY HUMANITARIAN AWARD
The Open Door Mission Foundation's Executive Committee made the decision in 2006 to create an award that would be given annually to recognize a person that has made great humanitarian contributions in his lifetime. It was further decided that the award would be named for one of Houston's, and the nation's, most dedicated and effective humanitarians: educator, surgeon, and medical statesman, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey.
Over a career that has spanned seven decades Dr. DeBakey's accomplishments include inventing and perfecting scores of medical devices and techniques, performing over 65,000 medical procedures, training many thousands of surgeons who save lives in countries throughout the world, and developing Baylor College of Medicine into an internationally recognized medical school. His numerous awards include the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Research, the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award, the Presidential National Medal of Science, and the Commonwealth Trust Award for Science and Invention. In March 2007 the United States Senate voted unanimously to award Dr. DeBakey the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest and most distinguished civilian award.
As an Army colonel during World War II Dr. DeBakey served on the staff of the US Surgeon General. During his military service, he developed the concept of the Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals (MASH units) and helped establish the system of treating military personnel returning from the war. The concept would later evolve into the Veterans Affairs Medical Center System. In 2004 The Texas Medical Center's VA Hospital was renamed the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in his honor.
Among numerous innovations, he created the first prototype for the Dacron artery in the early 1950's. In the late 1990's, he would make use of NASA's axial flow rocket fuel control technology to produce the MicroMed DeBakey Ventricular Assist Device, also the result of his decades of experience in organ transplantation.
Dr. DeBakey has been an adviser to eleven U. S. presidents. As a champion for public health, he headed the President's Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer and Stroke which would serve to raise public awareness of the economic and preventive aspects of public healthcare. The concept would become the basis for federal programs, including Medicare, to address the impact of these common diseases.
In 1948 Dr. DeBakey was recruited to the faculty of Baylor College of Medicine as Chair of the Department of Surgery, which today carries his name. In 1968 he become CEO, and was named president in 1969. He was the first chancellor in 1978 and was named Chancellor Emeritus in 1996. Since 2006 he has been an honorary trustee of the Open Door Mission Foundation. He continues to see patients, mentor trainees, and serve as an advisor on national healthcare and education issues.
ERIC KAPOSTA
Portraiture, figurative, wildlife, and architectural work have all passed through artist Eric Kaposta's renowned studio in Houston, Texas. Kaposta was given a set of oil paints at the age of 11, which helped him develop his talent. Art classes and the great masterpieces of Europe further inspired his passion, and he later ventured into the world of sculpting, an art form for which he is now known most.
Kaposta's well-known sculptural works include: "Jaque" The French Market Butcher at the entrance of the French Market in New Orleans, and architectural work on the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. A collaboration with the developer Randall Davis, who led the rebirth of downtown Houston, has put Eric's stamp on many of the wonderful new buildings in the city. Houston area landmarks include "Forging the Future" a monumental sized blacksmith in front of the Houston Astro's home, Minute Maid Field; two monumental bronzes in the sculptural garden at Reliant Park, Houston, Texas; and in the city of Richardson, Texas, the Civic Center Fountain bronze centerpiece.
Eric also created the award presented to the winners of the Rotary R. E. `Bob" Smith award, which was presented in Houston to the top player in college baseball from 1988-2003. Kaposta designed the Roger Clemens Award which goes to college baseball's top pitcher, and his most current credit includes The Open Door Mission Foundation Michael E. DeBakey Humanitarian Award, a lifelike bronze bust of the well known surgeon.
