'With his trademark Texas twang, Charles Putman drawled his way into the hearts of his patients, colleagues and friends.
As a Medical Center doctor, senior University administrator and mentor to undergraduates, Putman touched nearly every aspect of life at Duke over the last 22 years. Since his untimely death May 10, many at the University have been wondering how he can ever be replaced.
Putman, Duke's senior vice president for research administration and policy, suffered a heart attack at home and later died at Duke Hospital, where he had been treating patients only hours before. He was 57.
His May 13 funeral filled the Chapel to capacity, bringing together people from disparate sectors of the University who all shared one thing-an appreciation for Putman's kindness and dedication.
"Charles Putman was an exceptional member of this community, deeply caring both about Duke and about everyone in it," said President Nan Keohane. "He was beloved by people in every part of the University, from all kinds of backgrounds, with all kinds of jobs; he spoke everyone's language in his Texas twang, and understood all of us very well."
His loyalty to Duke was legendary, rivaled only by accounts of the lengths to which he would go to help those in need.
With laughter and near-reverence, Putman's friends offered numerous tales of his do-gooding exploits-prestigious internships he found for students, referrals for patients, transfers for workers unhappy with their positions.
"He would do anything for anyone in need," said Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans. "He had total courage because he wasn't interested in the bureaucracy. If he was intent on getting something done, nothing could stop him."
As senior vice president since 1995, Putman was responsible for helping University faculty secure funding for academic research and served as Duke's ambassador to Research Triangle Park. Despite his intense involvement with research policy, Putman never lost sight of his roots in the practice of medicine. Every year, the James B. Duke professor of radiology took one month off from his administrative post to spend time as an attending physician in the Medical Center.
Board certified in both internal medicine and radiology, Putman was committed to compassionate care not only for his patients, but for their equally vulnerable families. President emeritus Dr. Keith Brodie said these qualities earned him the highest esteem among his fellow doctors, who often sought him out for medical advice or referrals.
"He was a doctor's doctor," Brodie explained. "They trusted him and had great confidence in his ability."
As if the vast array of professional responsibilities was not daunting enough, Putman also adopted a rigorous regimen of community service. He spent countless hours with Trent Dormitory residents, giving informal lectures and serving as a mentor for students with an interest in the medical or research professions.
Trent faculty-in-residence Bob Fremeau, assistant professor of pharmacology and cancer biology, documented Putman's devotion to the Trent community in an e-mail to Keohane. "The University community will be significantly smaller without his enormous presence and vision," he wrote. "It was an honor and a privilege to work with Charles and to share his vision of what a university can aspire to be."
It was this breadth of institutional knowledge and depth of personal empathy that gave Putman his uniquely comprehensive understanding of the University, Brodie said.
"The fellow just had some remarkable talents...," he explained. "So many people within universities are so engrossed in their own area that they don't see the whole picture. It was really typical of him to want to work for the University as a whole, not just a particular school."
Putman came to the University in 1977 to become chair of the Medical Center's radiology department. He later served as vice chancellor for health affairs and vice provost, and then as dean of the School of Medicine and vice provost for research and development.
In 1990, then-president Brodie appointed him executive vice president for administration, making him the University's chief financial officer. In that role, Putman championed the creation of the $80-million Levine Science Research Center-the controversial project that ran into funding problems but is now the centerpiece of Duke's work in the natural and physical sciences.
Putman was often courted by other institutions, and he even accepted a position with the University of Pennsylvania last fall. But each time, as he got close to leaving, he said his love for Duke proved too compelling.
Putman is survived by his wife, Mary Evans Clark, their three children, a son-in-law and two grandchildren.
The family asks that donations be directed to the Charles Putman Endowment at Duke.
"We can all honor his memory by finishing the work that he started on a number of fronts," said Medical School Dean of Admissions Brenda Armstrong, associate professor of pediatric cardiology. "That will be the greatest tribute that we can make to preserve his place here at Duke, the place that he loved unconditionally and to which he devoted so much of his life."
Greg Pessin contributed to this story.
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