In honor of John G. Short
John Graham Short was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1937. His father worked for an oil company, and the family frequently moved between Bartlesville, OK, and Phillips and Borger, Texas. When John was twelve, he relocated to Austin, TX, where he attended Austin High School. In 1953, he entered the University of Texas at Austin as an early admissions student. John was greatly encouraged by his aunt Alice, who was an English teacher in Beaumont. In fact, he moved into her home in Batson, TX, and completed his B.S. at Lamar University, Beaumont, in 1957 with a major in biology and chemistry. In 1957, John entered medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston. He received his medical degree in 1961 and completed his internship at Hermann Hospital, Houston, TX. Following his internship, John operated a family practice in Houston until he entered the U.S. Air Force in 1962.
John was sent to Brook Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX, to attend flight surgeon school and, upon finishing this training, was stationed at Webb Air Force Base, Big Spring, TX. In 1964, John was transferred to Brooke Army Hospital, Fort Sam Houston, TX, to begin his residency training in radiology. After two years at Fort Sam, he was transferred to Wilford Hall Hospital, Lackland Air Force Base, TX, where he completed his radiology residency. Upon completion of the residency, John was stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, Alaska, where he was Chief of Radiology and resumed his work as a flight surgeon.
In 1970, John left the Air Force and moved back to Texas to begin a private radiology practice with the Selman, Betts, Protas and Short radiology group. In 1976, John moved to Hershey, PA, for a fellowship in Neuroradiology at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, to increase his training. After finishing his fellowship, he returned to private practice in Tyler and started the Radiology Associates of Tyler, which later merged with Tyler Radiology Associates. John practiced with this group until his passing in 2001.
John was a member of the American Medical Association, American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America, American Roentgen Ray Society, Texas Radiological Society, Texas Medical Association, and the Smith County Medical Society. While practicing in Tyler, he worked with radiology students during their rotations through the hospitals. His love of education and demand for quality quickly earned him a reputation as an excellent teacher. He gave support and guidance to anyone as long as they were actively learning and striving to improve themselves.
The establishment of this scholarship endowment fund is due, in part, to the number of Radiology Technicians who came to the Short family after John’s death. John’s guidance and personal interest in their training made it possible for them to complete their training and to become better X-ray Technicians. They knew that they could always turn to him for advice and guidance. John always stopped what he was doing to teach and mentor Radiology Technicians. Through establishing this scholarship fund, the Donors want to allow students to pursue a career in Radiology Technology and encourage excellence in the field.