Search

Start Over Creator Wolfe, Walter G.

Interview, July 14, 1994

This oral history interviews was conducted with Dr. Walter G. Wolfe on July 14, 1994 by Dr. James F. Gifford.

Duration: 00:40:00

During the interview, Wolfe discusses his career, work of the Pulmonary Physiology Laboratory of which Wolfe was the director, the structure of the Department of Surgery, and the evolution of the Department of Surgery.

  2. Walter G. Wolfe Oral History Interviews, 1994, 2019

Interview, June 5, 2019

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Wolfe G. Wolfe on June 5, 2019 by Susannah Roberson as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project. Also present for the interview were Jackie Wolfe, Ethel Atkins, and Zane Atkins.

Duration: 01:03:11

During the interview, Wolfe discusses his early life; education; why he decided to go to medical school and become a surgeon; why he stayed at Duke for his residency and stay after the completion of his surgical training; his different roles during his long career at Duke including becoming the Program Director of the Thoracic Residency Program at Duke and the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Durham Veteran's Administration Medical Center; what Sabiston was like as a boss; Sabiston's administration style; what it was like to be a surgery resident at Duke and what made the program under Sabiston so successful; Wolfe bringing in the first female resident, Kim Grady, to the Thoracic Residency Program he oversaw; Sabiston's national reputation; how Sabiston influenced Wolfe's research experience during his residency; Sabiston's rules; and other memories of Sabiston. Digital files include transcript (DOCX), interview (MP3), and consent form (PDF).

  2. Walter G. Wolfe Oral History Interviews, 1994, 2019

Walter G. Wolfe Oral History Interviews, 1994, 2019 2 Interviews (1 master audiocassette tape, 1 use audiocassette tape, 2 transcripts) and 87.3 MB

Dr. Walter G. Wolfe, MD (1937-2020), emeritus faculty member and a Duke cardiothoracic surgeon, led the cardiac surgery program at the Veterans Administration (VA) turning the struggling VA program into one of the most successful in the country. During his more than 50 year tenure at Duke, he was a cardiothoracic surgeon, clinician researcher, teacher, and mentor. This collection contains 2 oral history interviews conducted on July 14, 1994 by Dr. James F. Gifford and June 5, 2019 by Susannah Roberson as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project. In the 1994 interview, Wolfe discusses his career, work of the Pulmonary Physiology Laboratory of which Wolfe was the director, the structure of the Department of Surgery, and the evolution of the Department of Surgery. In the 2019 interview, Wolfe discusses his early life, education, why he decided to join the medical profession, how he came to complete his residency at Duke, his different roles during his career at Duke, what it was like to work for and with Sabiston, and his memories of Sabiston.