Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA) - Saturday, September 20, 1997
Dr. Charles W. Pearce, a retired New Orleans surgeon who operated on hundreds of hearts, died Thursday at Touro Infirmary of complications from a stroke. He was 69.
A native of Texas who moved to New Orleans in 1961, Dr. Pearce was former chief of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at Touro Infirmary. He taught at the medical schools of Tulane and Louisiana State universities.
"He just exuded confidence," said Dr. Raja Dhurandhar, chief of Touro's cardiology division. "When he walked into a patient's room and said, 'We're going to fix it,' he delivered. It was never bragging; his deeds always matched his words."
In the late 1960s, Dhurandhar said, Dr. Pearce conducted 92 open-heart surgeries without losing a patient.
Born in Ballinger, Texas, Dr. Pearce attended Rice University, where he was on the football team, and the University of Texas. He earned a medical degree from Cornell University, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, a scholastic honor society for medical students.
Dr. Pearce taught at Tulane's medical school from 1962 to 1983 and at LSU's from 1983 to 1987. He was head of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at both institutions.
As the trend toward open-heart surgery began to grow in the 1960s, "everybody was getting into the act," Dhurandhar said, "but (Dr. Pearce) was the one who had such outstanding results. His mortality rate was always so low because he was such a super surgeon and took such excellent care of his patients."
Dr. Pearce was a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the American College of Cardiology, the International Cardiovascular Society, the Louisiana Surgical Association and the New Orleans Surgical Society.
He was a former Army medic and paratrooper.
He also restored homes in Uptown New Orleans and was a board member of the New Orleans Opera, a governor of the Louisiana Society of Mayflower Descendants and a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Survivors include his wife, Patricia Flannery Pearce; two sons, John Y. and Andrew F. Pearce; a daughter, Margaret E. Pearce of St. Petersburg, Fla.; a stepdaughter, Leslie E. Midtbo; a brother, Francis Marion Pearce of Austin, Texas; and two grandchildren.
A funeral will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. Visitation will start at 5 p.m.
Dr. Charles W. Pearce, a retired New Orleans surgeon who operated on hundreds of hearts, died Thursday at Touro Infirmary of complications from a stroke. He was 69.
A native of Texas who moved to New Orleans in 1961, Dr. Pearce was former chief of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at Touro Infirmary. He taught at the medical schools of Tulane and Louisiana State universities.
"He just exuded confidence," said Dr. Raja Dhurandhar, chief of Touro's cardiology division. "When he walked into a patient's room and said, 'We're going to fix it,' he delivered. It was never bragging; his deeds always matched his words."
In the late 1960s, Dhurandhar said, Dr. Pearce conducted 92 open-heart surgeries without losing a patient.
Born in Ballinger, Texas, Dr. Pearce attended Rice University, where he was on the football team, and the University of Texas. He earned a medical degree from Cornell University, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, a scholastic honor society for medical students.
Dr. Pearce taught at Tulane's medical school from 1962 to 1983 and at LSU's from 1983 to 1987. He was head of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at both institutions.
As the trend toward open-heart surgery began to grow in the 1960s, "everybody was getting into the act," Dhurandhar said, "but (Dr. Pearce) was the one who had such outstanding results. His mortality rate was always so low because he was such a super surgeon and took such excellent care of his patients."
Dr. Pearce was a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the American College of Cardiology, the International Cardiovascular Society, the Louisiana Surgical Association and the New Orleans Surgical Society.
He was a former Army medic and paratrooper.
He also restored homes in Uptown New Orleans and was a board member of the New Orleans Opera, a governor of the Louisiana Society of Mayflower Descendants and a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Survivors include his wife, Patricia Flannery Pearce; two sons, John Y. and Andrew F. Pearce; a daughter, Margaret E. Pearce of St. Petersburg, Fla.; a stepdaughter, Leslie E. Midtbo; a brother, Francis Marion Pearce of Austin, Texas; and two grandchildren.
A funeral will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. Visitation will start at 5 p.m.
Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA) - Saturday, September 20, 1997
Dr. Charles W. Pearce, a retired New Orleans surgeon who operated on hundreds of hearts, died Thursday at Touro Infirmary of complications from a stroke. He was 69.
A native of Texas who moved to New Orleans in 1961, Dr. Pearce was former chief of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at Touro Infirmary. He taught at the medical schools of Tulane and Louisiana State universities.
"He just exuded confidence," said Dr. Raja Dhurandhar, chief of Touro's cardiology division. "When he walked into a patient's room and said, 'We're going to fix it,' he delivered. It was never bragging; his deeds always matched his words."
In the late 1960s, Dhurandhar said, Dr. Pearce conducted 92 open-heart surgeries without losing a patient.
Born in Ballinger, Texas, Dr. Pearce attended Rice University, where he was on the football team, and the University of Texas. He earned a medical degree from Cornell University, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, a scholastic honor society for medical students.
Dr. Pearce taught at Tulane's medical school from 1962 to 1983 and at LSU's from 1983 to 1987. He was head of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at both institutions.
As the trend toward open-heart surgery began to grow in the 1960s, "everybody was getting into the act," Dhurandhar said, "but (Dr. Pearce) was the one who had such outstanding results. His mortality rate was always so low because he was such a super surgeon and took such excellent care of his patients."
Dr. Pearce was a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the American College of Cardiology, the International Cardiovascular Society, the Louisiana Surgical Association and the New Orleans Surgical Society.
He was a former Army medic and paratrooper.
He also restored homes in Uptown New Orleans and was a board member of the New Orleans Opera, a governor of the Louisiana Society of Mayflower Descendants and a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Survivors include his wife, Patricia Flannery Pearce; two sons, John Y. and Andrew F. Pearce; a daughter, Margaret E. Pearce of St. Petersburg, Fla.; a stepdaughter, Leslie E. Midtbo; a brother, Francis Marion Pearce of Austin, Texas; and two grandchildren.
A funeral will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. Visitation will start at 5 p.m.
Dr. Charles W. Pearce, a retired New Orleans surgeon who operated on hundreds of hearts, died Thursday at Touro Infirmary of complications from a stroke. He was 69.
A native of Texas who moved to New Orleans in 1961, Dr. Pearce was former chief of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at Touro Infirmary. He taught at the medical schools of Tulane and Louisiana State universities.
"He just exuded confidence," said Dr. Raja Dhurandhar, chief of Touro's cardiology division. "When he walked into a patient's room and said, 'We're going to fix it,' he delivered. It was never bragging; his deeds always matched his words."
In the late 1960s, Dhurandhar said, Dr. Pearce conducted 92 open-heart surgeries without losing a patient.
Born in Ballinger, Texas, Dr. Pearce attended Rice University, where he was on the football team, and the University of Texas. He earned a medical degree from Cornell University, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, a scholastic honor society for medical students.
Dr. Pearce taught at Tulane's medical school from 1962 to 1983 and at LSU's from 1983 to 1987. He was head of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at both institutions.
As the trend toward open-heart surgery began to grow in the 1960s, "everybody was getting into the act," Dhurandhar said, "but (Dr. Pearce) was the one who had such outstanding results. His mortality rate was always so low because he was such a super surgeon and took such excellent care of his patients."
Dr. Pearce was a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the American College of Cardiology, the International Cardiovascular Society, the Louisiana Surgical Association and the New Orleans Surgical Society.
He was a former Army medic and paratrooper.
He also restored homes in Uptown New Orleans and was a board member of the New Orleans Opera, a governor of the Louisiana Society of Mayflower Descendants and a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Survivors include his wife, Patricia Flannery Pearce; two sons, John Y. and Andrew F. Pearce; a daughter, Margaret E. Pearce of St. Petersburg, Fla.; a stepdaughter, Leslie E. Midtbo; a brother, Francis Marion Pearce of Austin, Texas; and two grandchildren.
A funeral will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. Visitation will start at 5 p.m.
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