Dr. Wadi Suki Oral History

Object number2013.001.0158

Date04/01/2013

ClassificationsOral Histories

Oral history interview subject Dr. Wadi Nagib Suki

Oral history interviewer Stephen Fagin

ObjectOral history

Credit LineOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

MediumBorn digital (.wav file)

DimensionsDuration: 39 Minutes

Terms

Collections

DescriptionAudio oral history interview with Dr. Wadi Suki. A native of Sudan, Suki immigrated to Dallas in 1959 to enroll at UT Southwestern Medical School. He was part of the UT Southwestern faculty in 1963 and donated blood for Texas Governor John Connally at Parkland Memorial Hospital following the assassination. Interview recorded via telephone on April 1, 2013 by Stephen Fagin. The interview is thirty-nine minutes long.

Curatorial Commentary

Dr. Wadi Nagib Suki was eating lunch in the dining room at Parkland Memorial Hospital when he learned of the assassination. Outside the emergency room, Suki encountered a technician rushing out the door to go to the local blood bank. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Suki agreed to round up staff members to donate blood onsite. When he learned that he matched the blood type of Governor Connally, Suki immediately volunteered to donate a unit of blood for the wounded governor.

In 2021, Dr. Suki, who is a longtime nephrologist (kidney disease specialist) in Houston, donated to the Museum his Dallas County blood donor card and a letter of thanks that he received from Governor Connally. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator