Dr. George Thomas Shires was a 1948 graduate of Southwestern Medical College who rose through the organization to become Chairman of Surgery from 1961 through 1974. He built the Surgery Department into one of the top trauma and burn treatment centers in the world, as well as a top training department. Dr. Shires helped revolutionize trauma care with his research--spanning several decades--which led to the current practice of giving saline solutions to trauma patients as a partial replacement for lost blood. In 1963, Dr. Shires gained media attention by being the lead surgeon to operate on Lee Harvey Oswald, who was shot a few days after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Shires also participated in the treatment of Texas Governor John Connally, shot the same day as Kennedy.
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