Paul Cullison Houk, M.D.

Paul Cullison Houk, M.D., a pioneer in the development and advancement of modern techniques for diagnosing and treating cardiovascular disease, died late Saturday with his wife, two daughters and his beloved dog, Ranger, at home from pulmonary fibrosis. He was 82. Paul practiced interventional cardiology for 50 years until his retirement in 2011. He was loved and admired for the professionalism, compassion and generous attention he showed to patients, colleagues, family and friends. The Oklahoma native received a bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and a drummer in the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band. He received a medical degree from the OU College of Medicine in 1959, where he became a member of Alpha Omega Alpha scholastic fraternity as a junior. His first post-graduate year at the Kansas University Medical Center was followed by a residency in internal medicine at OU where he was chief resident in medicine. As professor and Chief of Medicine at the Veterans Administration Hospital early in his career, Paul was widely respected as a role model for his ability to balance unyielding professionalism and clinical expertise with his responsibility to improve student performance. Paul's education and practice were inspired by his mentors, Dr. Stewart Wolf, Dr. Robert Bird and Dr. William Middleton. He also served on the National Board of the American Heart Association and President of the Oklahoma Chapter. Paul was a research fellow in cardiovascular disease in 1965 when chosen as a National Institutes of Health Fellow to work with international researchers at the Sahlgrenske Academy of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden to further develop procedures and tools for heart catheterization and to bring these advancements back to the United States. The work by Paul and colleagues in Sweden was revolutionary and paved the way for balloon angioplasty including the introduction of the Swan – Ganz catheter and other life-saving procedures practiced today. Paul was born in 1933 in Oklahoma City to J. Dawson and Elsie Houk. He grew up in Fairview, OK farming wheat with his brother, Joe, on the family homestead. His sister, Eleanor Houk Wesner, preceded him in death. It was as a young man that Paul developed a love of the outdoors and of hunting and fishing. An avid fly fisherman, Paul was expert at tying flies and enjoyed many fishing trips over the years with many longtime friends and family members including Joe Houk, Ron, Mark and Jeff Wesner, Crawford Downs, Jim Finney, Ralph Thompson, Charles Lutz, John Powell, Don Lisle and his great friend and mentor, the late Dr. Robert M. Bird. In 1965, Paul met recent OU School of Nursing graduate Mary Christine Kirkpatrick, and the two married in 1967. Their two daughters, Georgia and Ashley, and grandchildren, James and Julia, were his pride and joy. Paul was a proud Oklahoman, an avid Sooner sports fan, a gardener, a lover of dogs, an expert photographer and a lifelong learner in his medical profession. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister and is survived by wife, Chris, of the home; daughters, Georgia Downs (Crawford) of Birmingham, AL, and Ashley Panion (Michael) of San Francisco, CA; grandchildren, James and Julia Downs; brother, Joe Houk (Carolyn), Fairview. The family is grateful for his care at Concordia, Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation at Integris, Absolute Senior Care and Oklahoma Hospice Care. Memorials may be made in Paul C. Houk's name to the Robert M. Bird Society, of which he was a founding member, at the OU Health Sciences Center. An Evening Prayer Service will be at 6pm on Wednesday, September 2nd, at Smith & Kernke Funeral Home, 1401 NW 23rd. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11am on Thursday, September 3rd at Christ the King Catholic Church with burial to follow at Resurrection Memorial Cemetery.