JAMES M JACKSON HUTSON MD's Obituary
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James Hutson Navy Cadet V12 Program Duke Medical School 1944.
March 16, 1922-October 6, 2019
James Jackson Hutson was born in Miami, Florida on March 16, 1922, to Ethel Barco Hutson and Thomas Woodward Hutson MD. He was the first-born grandchild of Dr. James M Jackson. Photos show the infant James Hutson in the arms of his grandfather on the portico of Homewood, the family home which once stood on Brickell Avenue. He grew up on NE 17th Street, in a home where the Omni complex is today. James attended Robert E Lee Junior High School. He told family stories of taking boyhood shortcuts from home to school through the Miami City Cemetery, where his grandfather Jackson is buried, and where he also will take his final rest. He later attended and graduated from Riverside Military Academy in 1938 and commenced his college education at Duke University. The advent of World War II resulted in the acceleration of his education in the V12 Program combining college and medical school into a six-year training period and a reserve commission in the United States Navy. In the last year of medical school he contracted polio resulting in the atrophy of his left leg, a disability that he overcame allowing a productive career and active life. His wedding to Miriam Poe Hickman, a nursing student at Duke University was delayed until he recuperated. They were married November 10, 1944. Following a six-month internship at the Naval Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida Dr. Hutson was assigned to a troop transport ship as the Medical Officer. The SS Young America made multiple crossings across the Pacific Ocean transporting soldiers and Marines into combat and returning them home at the end of the war. In 1946, he returned to Miami and entered medical practice with his father in the Ingram Building in downtown Miami. Four years later, the Korean War began and he was recalled to active duty in the Navy. He was sent to Pensacola Naval Air Station for training as a Flight Surgeon, an event which set him on the path of a long professional career in Aviation Medicine. He served as a Flight Surgeon at the Naval Air Station in Bath, Maine from 1950 to 1953 where the Navy was flying anti-submarine patrols. After returning to medical practice in Miami in 1954, Dr. Hutson applied for a position in the medical department of Eastern Airlines. He was interviewed by Eddy Rickenbacker, and with, “OK, you’re hired, kid,” he began a forty-year career in which he advanced to Medical Director of Eastern Airlines. He received the Greater Miami Aviation Association Service Award for his work in the aviation industry. He loved the airplanes and the employees of Eastern Airlines. Like thousands of employees, he was heartbroken when the airline was placed in bankruptcy and gutted. He continued to practice Aviation and Industrial Medicine as a Medical Examiner for the FAA. Dr. James Hutson also cared for elderly patients in nursing homes until the end of his practice when he moved to Epworth Village in Hialeah, Florida where he resided until his death. Dr. Hutson was dedicated to his church, First United Methodist Church of Miami. Like his grandfather, he was a lifelong Rotarian and was honored with The Rotary Service Award. He loved Miami and was proud to be a native son with deep roots in his city’s history, participating in Miami Pioneers and Native of Dade and Dade Heritage Trust. A memorial service will be held at Epworth Village, 5300 W 16th Ave, Hialeah, FL 33012, Sunday, November 10, 2019 at 4:00 PM.
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