IN MEMORIUM

in Memoriam

John Haynes Jr., MD

John Haynes Jr., MD, a renowned rural family physician, surgeon and community leader in northwest Louisiana and northeast Texas, passed away June 7, 2021, after a long battle with cardiovascular disease.Johnny, or “Doc” as referred to by those closest to him, worked at his father’s service station as a young boy and went on to teach at Byrd High School in Shreveport. Following his teaching career, he attended medical school at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas and completed his residency training in Family Medicine at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. He began his medical practice in Vivian, Louisiana, in 1966 and became Chief of Staff at North Caddo Memorial Hospital, where he was a leader for quality healthcare for the region for more than 50 years. A founding member of the American Board of Family Medicine, he was known for his passion for full-service rural healthcare and his compassionate bedside manner.

Dr. Haynes was an LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine faculty member in the Department of Family Medicine. In 1993, he founded LSU Health Shreveport’s Rural Family Practice Fellowship and Residency in conjunction with Willis-Knighton Health System. He was the inaugural recipient of the National Country Doctor of the Year Award in 1993 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to rural healthcare. Dr. Haynes was also honored as the Louisiana Family Practitioner of the Year in 1998 and 2004, as well as the Louisiana Rural Practitioner of the Year in 1998 and 2009.

Bruce Cleveland Henderson, MD

Bruce Cleveland Henderson, MD, 67, passed away on Oct. 6, 2021, due to complications of esophageal cancer. After his cancer diagnosis, Dr. Henderson never slowed down at work, and he surprised everyone but himself by maintaining his normal clinic and surgery schedule until just three weeks before his death.

Dr. Henderson was born and raised in Shreveport. As a National Merit Scholar, Bruce attended Southern Methodist University, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in political science in 1976. He married Betty Heuer the same year before returning to Shreveport for medical school. He finished in the top of his medical school class, completed an ophthalmology residency in Shreveport and a glaucoma fellowship at Emory in Atlanta. In 1986, he joined Ophthalmology Associates in Shreveport, where he provided glaucoma care for thousands for 35 years. He restored sight to hundreds more during mission trips to Haiti and Mexico. Dr. Henderson is survived by his wife Betty, four children, and seven grandchildren.

Carrie Lafitte Baker

Carrie Lafitte Baker transitioned from this life on Jan. 30, 2021, at age 70. She was an LSU Health Shreveport employee who worked in the Human Resources Department. Carrie was born in Shreveport on January 19, 1951. She will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend.

Matthew Rushing, DPT

Matthew Wade Rushing, age 27, of Keithville, Louisiana, passed away on June 3, 2021. Matthew was born July 9, 1993, in Shreveport to Joni and Robert Rushing. He graduated from Byrd High School in 2011. While in college at Louisiana Tech University, he reacquainted with an old friend, Katie Johnson, and they married in 2016. Matt attended graduate school at LSU Health Shreveport School of Allied Health Professions and received his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2018. Matt worked as a Physical Therapist at several facilities in the Shreveport-Bossier area, including The Therapy Center and Willis-Knighton.

Matt strived to be a witness for Christ to others, living life to the fullest and never taking a day for granted.He was an adventurous outdoorsman that had begun to share that love with his 1-year-old boys, Gunner and Gauge. LSU Health Shreveport leadership has opened an account at Campus Federal Credit Union to provide financial support for the Rushings’ young sons. Donations may be made “for the benefit of Katie Rushing” to establish a fund for the boys’ futures.

Stephen Jenkinson, MD

Stephen Jenkinson, MD, accomplished many great things in his lifetime, but he was most valued as a husband and friend. He was born Dec. 9, 1947, in Shreveport, where he attended Centenary College and went on to graduate from the LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine’s first graduating class in 1973. Dr. Jenkinson became a pulmonologist and critical care doctor who would later become the Chief of Pulmonary Critical Care at the University of Texas Health Science Center and the South Texas VA. Under his leadership, he and the late Kent Trinkle, MD, established one of the first lung transplant programs in the country.

He was a well-funded and respected researcher who published more than 100 articles, book chapters and textbooks. Fondly dubbed “Dr. J,” he trained many of the nation’s top pulmonologists and critical care doctors. He recruited and mentored numerous faculty and trained more than 100 fellows, many of whom still practice in the San Antonio community today. Dr. Jenkinson will be remembered as a beloved, selfless doctor who touched lives across the country.

Garrett Blaine Ryder, MD

Garrett Blaine Ryder, MD, passed away on May 7, 2021, in Lake Charles, Louisiana, at age 57 following a brief illness. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Shreveport, he completed his undergraduate studies at Baylor University where he met his wife, Angela, also of Shreveport. He received his medical degree from LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine and went on to complete his residency training in psychiatry in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was also board certified in geriatric psychiatry. He will be remembered as a jovial, fun-loving man who had time for everyone — inlcuding those canine in nature. Those who knew Dr. Ryder professionally remember him as a thoughtful, thorough, and fiercely compassionate physician. He cared deeply for his patients and worked to save and enrich the lives of thousands during his 31 years practicing psychiatry.

Lisa Smith Hodges, MD, had a larger-than-life personality that shined through a beautiful face, a beautiful heart, and a brilliant mind. She passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 11, 2021. Dr. Hodges graduated from the LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine and went on to become board certified in Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, and Infectious Disease. She taught residents and medical students at LSUHS for several years while caring for children with infectious diseases. Dr. Hodges used her many gifts of compassion, healing, fearlessness, and a yearning to help others by organizing medical mission teams to serve in Kenya, where they treated thousands. Her love for the people there led her to sponsor and assist in the Collisa Poultry Project, a chicken farm development to help feed people and give them a way to support themselves, now one of the top businesses in Kenya.

Richard Conrad Kamm, PhD, MD

Richard Conrad Kamm, MD, PhD, passed away on Jan. 24, 2021, in Shreveport, Louisiana, at age 73 after a brief illness. He received his Doctorate of Philosophy in Experimental Pathology from the University of Tennessee in Memphis in 1970. After receiving his PhD, he earned his Doctorate of Medicine from LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine in 1973, the inaugural graduating class. Dr. Kamm then attended the National Institute of Health — Division of Computer Research and Technology in Bethesda, Maryland, and completed a degree in Medical Technology at LSU Shreveport in 1976. At the request of Albert G. Smith, MD, Dr. Kamm served as an instructor in Pathology at LSUHS and later as an Associate Clinical Professor for the School of Medicine.

Dr. Kamm received specialty certifications in the following areas: Medical Technology from the American Society of Clinical Pathologists in 1976; Anatomic and Clinical Pathology from the American Board of Pathology in 1976; Forensic Examiner from the American Board of Forensic Examiners in 1995; Forensic Medicine from the American Board of Forensic Medicine in 1996; and Disability Analyst from the American Board of Disability Analysts in 2000. He served as a clinical pathologist at the LSUHS academic medical center, Physicians and Surgeons Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Bossier Medical Center, A.J. Mullen Memorial Hospital, Willis-Knighton Medical Center, and CHRISTUS Schumpert Medical Center. He also later became certified as a Forensic Pathologist.

Randy Conrad Richter, MD, USAR, MC, Ret.

Col. Randy Conrad Richter, MD, USAR, MC, Ret. passed away on May 3, 2021, after three years with renal cell carcinoma. Of Dr. Richter’s many passions, the two most prominent in his life were his desire to help others and service to his country. For the first, after several years as a probation and parole officer, Dr. Richter attended medical school at LSU Health Shreveport, then went on to mentor future doctors as a professor for more than 30 years.

His second passion began with service in the Louisiana National Guard, which soon became intertwined with his first as he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve to serve in the Medical Service Corps. He served in many roles in this capacity, including tours in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan, as well as serving as the Chief Surgeon General of the Army Reserve. He retired from the Army after 35 years of service.

Dr. Richter will be remembered for his warm and welcoming spirit, quick wit and humor, and the mischievous twinkle in his eye. He knew when to be firm and when to be tolerant. He led others in life-or-death situations both domestically and abroad. He never knew a stranger, and his compassion and fellowship will be missed most of all.

Harold Chen, MD, MS, FAAP, FACMG

Harold Chen, MD, MS, FAAP, FACMG, passed away on July 11, 2021. Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and American Board of Medical Genetics in Clinical Genetics and Clinical Cytogenetics, Dr. Chen served as a Professor of Pathology and Pediatrics, Obstetrics, and Gynecology, as well as Chief of Genetic Laboratory Services at LSU Health Shreveport. He was a remarkable clinician, clinical morphologist, and educator who taught a number of generations of physicians and laboratorians. His publications include well over 183 articles and abstracts in addition to publishing what is recognized as one of the premier textbooks on genetics: Atlas of Genetic Diagnosis and Counseling. Dr. Chen contributed to advances putting genetics at the forefront of understanding of the mechanisms of the development of disease. His input and influence have led to significant changes in the approach to the diagnosis and management of many disorders.

Jason Hatfield, MD

LSUHS alumnus Rodney “Jason” Hatfield, a family medicine physician at Opelousas General Hospital, passed away unexpectantly while hiking in the Grand Canyon on July 14, 2021. He is survived by his wife, School of Medicine alumna Allison Stacey, MD, who he met while attending LSUHS medical school in 2003. He went on to complete an internship in Family Medicine and serve the community of Mansfield, Louisiana. Jason would do anything for family and friends, who describe him as very intellectual, loud, fun to talk with, and compassionate. He left a hole in the medical community, with many of his patients reaching out to his family to share their love and respect for him as their physician.

Ronald George, MD

Ronald Baylis George, MD, passed away July 19, 2021, at age 88. He served as the LSUHS Chair of Medicine from 1992-2000. He also served as the Chief of the Pulmonary Disease Section from 1972-1992 and as a consultant to the Internal Medicine Service at the Overton Brooks VA Medical Center from 1982-2000. He served his country in the 6038th U.S. Air Force Hospital in Misawa, Japan, from 1960-62.

Dr. George’s legacy will live on through the Ronald B. George Outstanding Clinical Student Award, which is sponsored annually by Red Ball Medical Supply as well as the Ronald B. George Scholars Program that is designed to expose pre-clinical medical students to the internal medicine specialties, hospitalist experience, and primary care experience. The students interact with physicians and patients during this four-week activity. Gifts in memory of Dr. George can be made to the White Coat Scholarship Campaign at www.lsuhsfoundation.org/wcsc.