WEBVTT 00:00:01.569 --> 00:00:04.410 Torre-Amione: I had the opportunity of gettingto know him [DeBakey] the latter part of his 00:00:04.410 --> 00:00:08.149 life,very actively, although I trained here, and 00:00:08.149 --> 00:00:13.039 I spent almost the last 25 years of my lifehere in my 00:00:13.039 --> 00:00:15.619 training and my professional career. 00:00:15.619 --> 00:00:22.300 Lindberg: Looks as if you must have startedat age 12 or something. 00:00:22.300 --> 00:00:24.700 Torre-Amione: Twenty-five. 00:00:24.700 --> 00:00:29.580 But almost anybody that trained here that'smy generation has had 00:00:29.580 --> 00:00:36.800 an impact--DeBakey's legacy and his life,and whether you just participated in training 00:00:36.800 --> 00:00:41.070 at Bayloror rotation or you were in the field of cardiovascular 00:00:41.070 --> 00:00:46.200 medicine, there was almost nothing that youdo that in some way is not a reflection of 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:48.890 his career and his presence. 00:00:48.890 --> 00:00:53.820 So many of us that trainedhere and live here--just sort of an icon that's 00:00:53.820 --> 00:00:54.820 irreplaceable. 00:00:54.820 --> 00:00:59.800 And his figure is mythical and even ifyou don't have a direct contact with him, 00:00:59.800 --> 00:01:03.719 as I didn't for many years, you always feelhis presence 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:05.920 and his shadow. 00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:10.460 I don't know how much people talk to you aboutthat, but when I was in 00:01:10.460 --> 00:01:16.960 training--this is 20-plus years ago--you wouldcome into DeBakey rounds, and it was sort 00:01:16.960 --> 00:01:18.520 of areligious experience. 00:01:18.520 --> 00:01:24.870 In his 9th floor office he would sit in frontof the x-ray machine, and he 00:01:24.870 --> 00:01:28.960 would look at the films, and he would makehis notes, and he wrote the diagrams and then 00:01:28.960 --> 00:01:32.970 thefaculty would sit behind him and give reports, 00:01:32.970 --> 00:01:34.660 and then the residents and the interns inthe back, 00:01:34.660 --> 00:01:39.420 and just to be able to go into the room wasa big deal, and you didn't have to say anything--but 00:01:39.420 --> 00:01:43.900 just the presence of the entire room justwas overwhelming. 00:01:43.900 --> 00:01:45.520 Lindberg: That's very interesting. 00:01:45.520 --> 00:01:50.490 Torre-Amione: So that was for me my firstcontact with DeBakey, going through rounds 00:01:50.490 --> 00:01:54.340 withDeBakey was the highlight of the rotation, 00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:56.229 just to have that contact with him. 00:01:56.229 --> 00:02:00.520 I mean he carriedthat presence or aura around him. 00:02:00.520 --> 00:02:02.340 Lindberg: So was that weekly? 00:02:02.340 --> 00:02:03.890 Torre-Amione: Every day. 00:02:03.890 --> 00:02:07.030 DeBakey rounds were at four p.m. and thenevery consultant that 00:02:07.030 --> 00:02:11.610 worked in--and at that time he would have100 patients admitted to the hospital. 00:02:11.610 --> 00:02:12.950 I mean it wasincredible. 00:02:12.950 --> 00:02:17.350 They were times of no privacy of information. 00:02:17.350 --> 00:02:20.890 You would go to radiology and look atthe list of patients who you have to select 00:02:20.890 --> 00:02:23.780 the x-rays and review, and you would see patientafter 00:02:23.780 --> 00:02:33.410 patient of DeBakey, DeBakey--so it was a timein medicine where--you don't see that anymore. 00:02:33.410 --> 00:02:35.520 It just doesn't exist. 00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:38.871 Whether medicine has been transforming which--youjust don't have 00:02:38.871 --> 00:02:40.870 individuals like that anymore. 00:02:40.870 --> 00:02:45.140 It may be good or bad but in any case, that'sthe way it was in the 00:02:45.140 --> 00:02:50.840 past, and just that experience was in andof itself an extraordinary experience. 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:55.020 So throughout mytraining the presence of DeBakey was really 00:02:55.020 --> 00:03:01.710 a religious experience for anybody that practicedhere. 00:03:01.710 --> 00:03:06.250 If you were in cardiovascular medicine--toa different magnitude. 00:03:06.250 --> 00:03:09.920 Now my personalrelationship with him really developed the 00:03:09.920 --> 00:03:12.320 later part of his life when he became ill. 00:03:12.320 --> 00:03:18.370 He had a lotof physicians, and I was only one among a 00:03:18.370 --> 00:03:22.080 group of doctors that would meet with him. 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:24.920 Wewould have meetings and sit in a conference 00:03:24.920 --> 00:03:28.070 room, pretty much the way DeBakey rounds werefor other patients. 00:03:28.070 --> 00:03:33.810 Dr. DeBakey would come and then you have mostlyvery senior physicians, 00:03:33.810 --> 00:03:39.780 significantly senior to me, people that werehis direct colleagues at that time in the 00:03:39.780 --> 00:03:40.780 school and so 00:03:40.780 --> 00:03:41.780 forth. 00:03:41.780 --> 00:03:48.520 And then we'd review different aspects ofhis own personal care and discuss medication 00:03:48.520 --> 00:03:50.700 and discuss a strategy. 00:03:50.700 --> 00:03:55.650 Then I participated in the area of cardiologywhere he had--1 suppose it's 00:03:55.650 --> 00:03:59.020 probably appropriate to mention his illnessas it were. 00:03:59.020 --> 00:04:01.950 Lindberg: Yeah, it was all over the newspapers,sure. 00:04:01.950 --> 00:04:02.950 Torre-Amione: Yeah. 00:04:02.950 --> 00:04:05.230 He had developed a cardiomyopathy and somecardiac dysfunction at 00:04:05.230 --> 00:04:10.760 some point, and he was very aware of whathis medical treatments were for that, and 00:04:10.760 --> 00:04:13.440 that was myarea of expertise, and so I would come into 00:04:13.440 --> 00:04:17.890 the meeting and over time I developed a closerrelationship with him. 00:04:17.890 --> 00:04:21.799 I was probably one of the most junior--1 wouldsay among that group, I 00:04:21.799 --> 00:04:28.520 was the youngest individual, so I developeda very nice relationship with him, and we 00:04:28.520 --> 00:04:32.750 would talkabout different aspects of medicine, and then 00:04:32.750 --> 00:04:37.710 he would talk about life in general and thephilosophy of medicine and how one should 00:04:37.710 --> 00:04:40.330 be open to different strategies. 00:04:40.330 --> 00:04:44.500 I think that he wasvery interested in the latter part of his 00:04:44.500 --> 00:04:47.460 life to really explore unconventional treatmentsthat maybe 00:04:47.460 --> 00:04:54.860 would be perceived by us as maybe not necessarilyalternative medicine, but just explore or 00:04:54.860 --> 00:04:59.140 keepyour mind open to potentially new forms of 00:04:59.140 --> 00:05:07.160 treatment that may offer a unique or differentapproach, and I found that really fascinating 00:05:07.160 --> 00:05:10.840 because here you have someone who spent hislife 00:05:10.840 --> 00:05:17.790 building foundations for scientific practiceof medicine and surgery and cardiovascular 00:05:17.790 --> 00:05:22.210 medicine,and someone who is old by conventional criteria--but 00:05:22.210 --> 00:05:30.130 a mind that's very young and willing toexplore unconventional strategies with a scientific 00:05:30.130 --> 00:05:31.750 twist. 00:05:31.750 --> 00:05:35.840 He didn't have the idea of magicalcures. 00:05:35.840 --> 00:05:37.710 You know, "If it does work, why does it work? 00:05:37.710 --> 00:05:38.710 Let's explore this. 00:05:38.710 --> 00:05:41.130 It may be effective inthis way." 00:05:41.130 --> 00:05:42.250 I thought that was fascinating. 00:05:42.250 --> 00:05:45.200 Lindberg: You know he had a Chinese yew treein his garden. 00:05:45.200 --> 00:05:46.200 Torre-Amione: Yes. 00:05:46.200 --> 00:05:50.060 Lindberg: I don't know if it was because oftamoxifen or just [that] he liked it, but 00:05:50.060 --> 00:05:51.220 he talkedabout it. 00:05:51.220 --> 00:05:56.650 Torre-Amione: Yeah, and I don't think that'sa common--1 mean he must have had a unique 00:05:56.650 --> 00:06:01.650 set ofgenes that kept him pretty active mentally 00:06:01.650 --> 00:06:05.430 and even though, yes, he was biologically--Hewas 00:06:05.430 --> 00:06:10.840 perhaps even more open to change than manypeople my age or even younger, so I think 00:06:10.840 --> 00:06:11.840 thatwas- 00:06:11.840 --> 00:06:12.840 Lindberg: Well, there are young old men. 00:06:12.840 --> 00:06:18.060 Torre-Amione: --one of the things that--yes,I thihk that quality was one of--or maybe 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:20.960 perhapsone of the lessons that I had the great pleasure 00:06:20.960 --> 00:06:23.620 of really learning from him directly. 00:06:23.620 --> 00:06:29.050 Lindberg: He's one of the reasons I'll nevervote for forced retirement at 65. 00:06:29.050 --> 00:06:30.580 Torre-Amione: I think that's true. 00:06:30.580 --> 00:06:31.780 Lindberg: Him and [Congressman] Claude Pepper. 00:06:31.780 --> 00:06:39.050 Torre-Amione: Well, I spent, just like manyother people here, a lot of time with him 00:06:39.050 --> 00:06:45.430 towards theend, and the week before he died, he continued 00:06:45.430 --> 00:06:48.240 to have ideas about developing a new pumpor 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:52.710 coming up with better strategies for supportof the failing heart. 00:06:52.710 --> 00:06:54.889 He would talk about healthcare. 00:06:54.889 --> 00:06:58.370 Ihave to tell you that he always said, at least 00:06:58.370 --> 00:07:01.650 to me various times, he said the solutionto 00:07:01.650 --> 00:07:04.500 healthcare is just to expand the VA systemto the entire population. 00:07:04.500 --> 00:07:05.500 Lindberg: I know. 00:07:05.500 --> 00:07:10.410 Torre-Amione: He said we already have a systemthat works, just make it open to everybody. 00:07:10.410 --> 00:07:12.540 Ifrankly think that's a fantastic idea. 00:07:12.540 --> 00:07:15.260 I don't know why no other individual has pushedthat-- 00:07:15.260 --> 00:07:17.030 Lindberg: And it's one that's ignored. 00:07:17.030 --> 00:07:20.370 Torre-Amione: Right, I think people perceiveit as socialized or whatever but the fact 00:07:20.370 --> 00:07:21.370 it is-- 00:07:21.370 --> 00:07:24.440 Lindberg: Well, he said that, on the occasionthey awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal, 00:07:24.440 --> 00:07:28.600 to the president and the president, who hadbeen pretty happy up until that [point], turned 00:07:28.600 --> 00:07:29.600 beetred. 00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:31.741 Torre-Amione: I missed the opportunity togo to that one. 00:07:31.741 --> 00:07:35.590 I had a meeting that was scheduled inEurope. 00:07:35.590 --> 00:07:38.889 I couldn't cancel it, but I sort of regretnot attending that. 00:07:38.889 --> 00:07:40.570 Lindberg: It was sort of fun. 00:07:40.570 --> 00:07:42.020 Totally ceremonial but still it was fun. 00:07:42.020 --> 00:07:45.090 Torre-Amione: I know, but it's a fun and agood experience to attend. 00:07:45.090 --> 00:07:51.949 So I mean the stories likethat--if you ask me what's the greatest learning--you 00:07:51.949 --> 00:07:56.380 can talk to a lot of different people, theygive you different stories on how hard he 00:07:56.380 --> 00:08:02.340 worked and his ethics and his commitment,but I think 00:08:02.340 --> 00:08:11.460 for me one of the greatest lessons from Dr.DeBakey was to work so hard and so diligent, 00:08:11.460 --> 00:08:14.820 and atleast in my interaction which may be different 00:08:14.820 --> 00:08:19.130 at different stages of his life--was thathis work 00:08:19.130 --> 00:08:20.230 ethic is just-- 00:08:20.230 --> 00:08:21.930 Lindberg: He never let up. 00:08:21.930 --> 00:08:22.930 Torre-Amione: --incredible. 00:08:22.930 --> 00:08:26.960 I don't think that you have people that areso committed to that to 00:08:26.960 --> 00:08:34.130 the point that that becomes their sort ofreligion, their mode of life and without any 00:08:34.130 --> 00:08:38.839 interest inwhat people really would go perhaps today--1'11 00:08:38.839 --> 00:08:44.310 just share a story today--1 was seeing patientstoday in clinic and a patient told me her 00:08:44.310 --> 00:08:50.220 primary physician had "fired" her, and thereason why 00:08:50.220 --> 00:08:51.720 he fired her. 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:56.000 She said to me, "Well, you don't come oftento the office. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:00.260 I've seen you in thehospital only one time last year, it's not 00:09:00.260 --> 00:09:03.920 worth my time to spend time with you. 00:09:03.920 --> 00:09:06.760 My practice isbooming, I don't really need your money.'' 00:09:06.760 --> 00:09:09.770 Now what the real motives are, I don't understandthat. 00:09:09.770 --> 00:09:15.040 To have a physician to talk to a patient likethat, it's something that would inconceivable 00:09:15.040 --> 00:09:19.110 inDr. DeBakey's mind and the way he practiced 00:09:19.110 --> 00:09:20.110 medicine. 00:09:20.110 --> 00:09:23.879 I think that people have lost that overtime, and I think if we needed to capture 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:27.190 -- you can capture his greatness as a physician,as a 00:09:27.190 --> 00:09:32.530 surgeon, but I think these other aspects ofthe practice of medicine will be lost if we 00:09:32.530 --> 00:09:36.220 don't keep italive, and I don't think we're going to have 00:09:36.220 --> 00:09:38.230 too many people that really practice likethat. 00:09:38.230 --> 00:09:42.540 Lindberg: He was a surprisingly scholarlyman; did you ever talk Greek and Roman history 00:09:42.540 --> 00:09:43.540 withhim? 00:09:43.540 --> 00:09:47.800 Torre-Amione: No, but I talked about WorldWar 11. 00:09:47.800 --> 00:09:51.700 I'll share another story with you. 00:09:51.700 --> 00:09:57.120 I broughthim to Monterey, my hometown in Mexico, and 00:09:57.120 --> 00:10:02.620 we had him attend a meeting with the chairmanof the board who was also the chairman of 00:10:02.620 --> 00:10:05.870 a very large cement corporation, and we weresitting 00:10:05.870 --> 00:10:12.510 having lunch, and so he's talking about thehistory of cement with this man who's the 00:10:12.510 --> 00:10:16.880 CEO of thisglobal company that at that time probably 00:10:16.880 --> 00:10:19.180 was the second largest cement company in theworld, 00:10:19.180 --> 00:10:23.899 right, so Dr. DeBakey is talking to thesemen about cement, the history of cement and 00:10:23.899 --> 00:10:26.520 howcement has evolved through the years, and 00:10:26.520 --> 00:10:29.850 so I say, you know, I don't think he rehearsedit, but 00:10:29.850 --> 00:10:38.180 how did he end up--1 don't think anybody haddiscussed with him what was this man's company. 00:10:38.180 --> 00:10:42.210 So he can handle that, he can handle everything. 00:10:42.210 --> 00:10:45.310 Right, so that was just one of these things-- 00:10:45.310 --> 00:10:46.310 Lindberg: That's interesting. 00:10:46.310 --> 00:10:47.310 Torre-Amione: --that are very surprising. 00:10:47.310 --> 00:10:51.100 Lindberg: I'm not surprised, but I'm veryhappy that you said it. 00:10:51.100 --> 00:10:57.870 Torre-Amione: No, it's really remarkable,and I don't think anybody had briefed him 00:10:57.870 --> 00:11:00.660 on thisindividual's area of work. 00:11:00.660 --> 00:11:04.830 We were in an academic mission, just havingpresentations at the 00:11:04.830 --> 00:11:07.090 university had really very little knowledgeput out. 00:11:07.090 --> 00:11:12.480 Lindberg: Well, you know one of the thingsthat he gave us--Katrin gave us--was his drafts 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:16.730 ofmanuscripts, and he wrote ey1 Franqais beautifully. 00:11:16.730 --> 00:11:17.970 I mean effortlessly. 00:11:17.970 --> 00:11:22.920 His last paper onhealthcare for JAMA, it was just published 00:11:22.920 --> 00:11:27.550 as is, practically no corrections and certainlynot 00:11:27.550 --> 00:11:29.279 ghost written, for sure not. 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:33.690 Torre-Amione: No, I understand that. 00:11:33.690 --> 00:11:36.550 Most of the memories that I have really revolvearound 00:11:36.550 --> 00:11:42.680 these very important aspects of somebody'slife that really transcend the practice of 00:11:42.680 --> 00:11:47.330 medicine, butI tell you I also took care of patients that 00:11:47.330 --> 00:11:52.900 he treated for many years, and we would goand see 00:11:52.900 --> 00:11:56.149 them, and he would make rounds at the ageof 99, and we would come up with him, and 00:11:56.149 --> 00:11:59.320 he'd beon top of it and he would call them, and even 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:01.690 late in his life he had the same dedicationto take 00:12:01.690 --> 00:12:02.690 care of patients. 00:12:02.690 --> 00:12:04.960 He knew exactly what he should do. 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:06.959 I mean he was really an incredibleindividual. 00:12:06.959 --> 00:12:09.779 Lindberg: It amazed me as well. 00:12:09.779 --> 00:12:18.610 Torre-Amione: I think the other importantaspect--it's obvious because of his work, 00:12:18.610 --> 00:12:22.310 but I think ifI look at myself, if I could be in a position 00:12:22.310 --> 00:12:25.570 of influence like him, I think it's very remarkablethat 00:12:25.570 --> 00:12:30.450 you get an individual that could have personallybenefited to a much greater degree of all 00:12:30.450 --> 00:12:31.450 hisaccomplishments. 00:12:31.450 --> 00:12:37.600 I think a lot of what he wanted to do andreally the way he lived his life, 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:38.839 demonstrated that. 00:12:38.839 --> 00:12:40.300 He wanted to build. 00:12:40.300 --> 00:12:42.200 He wanted to contribute. 00:12:42.200 --> 00:12:46.120 Baylor College of Medicinereally developed because of him. 00:12:46.120 --> 00:12:50.520 The medical center here developed becauseof him, and his 00:12:50.520 --> 00:12:56.550 endowments, his efforts in trying to promoteeducation and healthcare, even late in his 00:12:56.550 --> 00:13:01.850 life thehigh school that he founded, I think are very 00:13:01.850 --> 00:13:05.130 great examples that should serve as legacyfor very 00:13:05.130 --> 00:13:07.860 successful physicians to come. 00:13:07.860 --> 00:13:13.050 Where you can be very successful and happy,but these things 00:13:13.050 --> 00:13:20.550 that he contributed really transcend whatyou can do today, are part of his legacy that 00:13:20.550 --> 00:13:24.850 I don'tthink many individuals are capable of sharing 00:13:24.850 --> 00:13:26.990 that with the world. 00:13:26.990 --> 00:13:27.990 Lindberg: No. 00:13:27.990 --> 00:13:30.640 Actually, the National Library of Medicinehas an affiliation with Center City 00:13:30.640 --> 00:13:38.000 High Schools, and so I asked him about thesuccess of the DeBakey High School here, trying 00:13:38.000 --> 00:13:41.390 toshape a strategy myself, and he said, "Well, 00:13:41.390 --> 00:13:46.570 Donald, first of all you've got to do it for25 years." 00:13:46.570 --> 00:13:49.340 Then it will be different. 00:13:49.340 --> 00:13:56.089 Torre-Amione: There's almost no one that youtalk to in the medical center, even younger 00:13:56.089 --> 00:14:03.820 generations than me, that won't give you astory that may be this tradition or these 00:14:03.820 --> 00:14:06.212 incrediblethings that you hear that go from one generation 00:14:06.212 --> 00:14:11.180 to the other, but I think what everybody reallyfeels and understands is that his contribution 00:14:11.180 --> 00:14:15.040 to what this medical center is is really unparalleled. 00:14:15.040 --> 00:14:25.250 I think his ethics, his work, his commitmentto the patients are characteristics that you 00:14:25.250 --> 00:14:28.019 don'treally find in a lot of individuals. 00:14:28.019 --> 00:14:29.580 And that doesn't happen often anymore. 00:14:29.580 --> 00:14:30.580 Lindberg: No, unfortunately. 00:14:30.580 --> 00:14:32.910 Torre-Amione: Especially the way medicineis changing. 00:14:32.910 --> 00:14:37.990 That type of commitment is notsomething that we're teaching people to do. 00:14:37.990 --> 00:14:41.540 Lindberg: So do you still encourage youngpeople to go into medicine? 00:14:41.540 --> 00:14:45.880 Torre-Amione: Sure, but I usually tell peoplethe following. 00:14:45.880 --> 00:14:47.480 People come in, they want to spendtime. 00:14:47.480 --> 00:14:53.830 I said if your heart is not in medicine andyou feel that you can do medicine just like 00:14:53.830 --> 00:14:59.019 becoming a lawyer or being a producer or beingan engineer, do that. 00:14:59.019 --> 00:15:00.019 Don't go into medicine. 00:15:00.019 --> 00:15:01.019 Lindberg: Yes, I agree. 00:15:01.019 --> 00:15:05.300 Torre-Amione: But if medicine is what's goingto make you happy, forget about the money, 00:15:05.300 --> 00:15:08.769 forget about the effort, then you'll be happy. 00:15:08.769 --> 00:15:11.500 But if you do it as a way to just find anotherjob, I 00:15:11.500 --> 00:15:13.649 think that's not the right way to go intomedicine. 00:15:13.649 --> 00:15:15.800 Lindberg: Can't stand the first four yearsanyway. 00:15:15.800 --> 00:15:20.740 Torre-Amione: Right, but I definitely encouragepeople when they know that that's their passion. 00:15:20.740 --> 00:15:27.040 The problem today I think is that people have--1don't think that we have a lot of people that 00:15:27.040 --> 00:15:29.311 stillhave that gift of finding something and doing 00:15:29.311 --> 00:15:36.160 it because of their passion. 00:15:36.160 --> 00:15:37.209 I don't see that a lot. 00:15:37.209 --> 00:15:41.680 Lindberg: Well, do you think the DeBakey HighSchool is working? 00:15:41.680 --> 00:15:46.290 I mean he really created itin order to get minority kids into healthcare, 00:15:46.290 --> 00:15:47.290 not medicine alone. 00:15:47.290 --> 00:15:53.839 Torre-Amione: Well, I'm certainly no experton the outcomes of--but we see kids that come 00:15:53.839 --> 00:16:01.760 through here, that come in and we have themthrough the summer or that they do volunteer 00:16:01.760 --> 00:16:03.680 workor they want to participate in research projects 00:16:03.680 --> 00:16:07.440 and without any question I think it givespeople a 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:12.810 connection with a reality that otherwise wouldnot be available for them and just to expose 00:16:12.810 --> 00:16:18.240 individuals that otherwise would not see thisis really probably the greater engine to make 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:20.850 themwanting to go into a career in science or 00:16:20.850 --> 00:16:24.170 medicine, so I think it's a fantastic ideaand it's a 00:16:24.170 --> 00:16:25.360 fantastic program, yes. 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:26.360 Lindberg: I like it very well myself. 00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:29.040 Torre-Amione: Yeah, so I think it's great. 00:16:29.040 --> 00:16:36.111 Lindberg: I guess, one last thing is did hewant to have the last giant arch [phonetic] 00:16:36.111 --> 00:16:38.029 procedure ornot? 00:16:38.029 --> 00:16:42.370 Tone-Amione: I talked to him about that andthe answer is yes. 00:16:42.370 --> 00:16:47.899 He said he didn't want to die, andI, of course, talking to him after the fact, 00:16:47.899 --> 00:16:49.060 he never regretted it. 00:16:49.060 --> 00:16:50.061 Lindberg: I've heard him say that. 00:16:50.061 --> 00:16:52.079 Tone-Amione: He said he was very happy thathe did have it. 00:16:52.079 --> 00:16:53.079 Lindberg: Right. 00:16:53.079 --> 00:16:57.680 Torre-Amione: And at some point that he madecomments against it, he certainly doesn't 00:16:57.680 --> 00:17:00.240 regrethaving had it, and he was very happy to be 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:01.370 alive. 00:17:01.370 --> 00:17:04.250 I'll tell you a story if nobody mentionedthis. 00:17:04.250 --> 00:17:11.589 Dr. DeBakey, the last few months of his life--youknow he loved cars and even sports cars. 00:17:11.589 --> 00:17:12.589 Lindberg: Yes, oh, yes. 00:17:12.589 --> 00:17:13.589 Pedal to the metal. 00:17:13.589 --> 00:17:15.279 Torre-Amione: He went and brought a brandnew Porsche. 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:17.720 Lindberg: In a wheelchair. 00:17:17.720 --> 00:17:19.489 Torre-Amione: I bought his old Porsche. 00:17:19.489 --> 00:17:22.459 I sat with him in the house. 00:17:22.459 --> 00:17:24.699 I said, Dr. DeBakey whatare you going to do with this car, which was 00:17:24.699 --> 00:17:26.949 a beautiful Porsche that they had broughtfrom 00:17:26.949 --> 00:17:34.109 Germany and didn't drive it for years becausethey had to make them US compatible. 00:17:34.109 --> 00:17:36.840 So there'sthis beautiful Porsche, and he wanted to go 00:17:36.840 --> 00:17:38.789 and buy a brand new Porsche, and he did. 00:17:38.789 --> 00:17:41.320 He wentand bought a brand new Porsche and I bought 00:17:41.320 --> 00:17:42.649 his old Porsche. 00:17:42.649 --> 00:17:43.799 Lindberg: Great. 00:17:43.799 --> 00:17:49.389 Tone-Amione: Then I told Dr. DeBakey one time,I said, these Porsche people are pretty 00:17:49.389 --> 00:17:50.389 incompetent. 00:17:50.389 --> 00:17:55.059 If I was the manager or the owner, and I seeyou coming trying to buy a Porsche, 00:17:55.059 --> 00:17:57.129 I'll give it to you for free. 00:17:57.129 --> 00:17:58.730 I'll just ask one thing. 00:17:58.730 --> 00:18:01.432 I'll take a couple of pictures and use youin an ad, 00:18:01.432 --> 00:18:08.960 and I think it would be the greatest ad onearth about our selling sports cars. 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:12.169 Of course, that didn'thappen, but he bought his car, and he broke 00:18:12.169 --> 00:18:16.460 his car in, and he was really happy aboutthat, and 00:18:16.460 --> 00:18:25.620 eventually he kind of died asleep, and thestory is what it is. 00:18:25.620 --> 00:18:28.109 He was full of life even at that time. 00:18:28.109 --> 00:18:32.989 When he renewed his license to get insurance,he even made comments about, "Oh, I just need 00:18:32.989 --> 00:18:35.749 insurance for another five years or so.'' 00:18:35.749 --> 00:18:40.039 Because he's 99, almost a couple months closeto his 00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:41.039 hundredth birthday. 00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:45.299 Lindberg: Well, it's kind of you to sharethe memories with us. 00:18:45.299 --> 00:18:47.960 We all knew him and all havegood memories. 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:49.200 Torre-Amione: Very good. 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:50.200 Thank you. 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:50.539 Lindberg: Thanks very much.