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Mack Duce has Nursed a Thrilling Ride with Scott & White

For most of his life, Mack Duce has made people throw their hands up in the air and scream at the top of their lungs. That hasn’t stopped since he and his wife Leora became involved with Scott & White Hospital.

You see, Mr. Duce has sold amusement rides most of his life to the largest amusement parks, state fairs, carnivals and traveling shows in the world. Millions upon millions of individuals have strolled the midway looking up and dreaming about the ride of their lives as the carnival music plays, the lights flash and the sirens scream… all thanks to people like Mack Duce, who bring excitement and thrills to every corner of the earth.

Keeps coming back to Scott & White

This vibrant 88-year-old Dallas businessman has traveled the world working in the amusement-ride industry and has seen virtually everything there is to see. He has his choice of any medical establishment or hospital in the world, but he keeps coming back to Scott & White.

Why? Well, for one thing there are the Scott & White nurses, a dynamic sector of the hospital’s staff that holds a special place in the hearts of both Mr. and Mrs. Duce.

“Everywhere I’ve been, the first kind word you always hear is from the nurses,” Mr. Duce says. That’s one big reason why the Duces so readily support Scott & White’s nursing programs.

A major trust fund for nurses

Looking to the future of nursing at Scott & White, Mr. Duce has provided a major trust fund that will continue nursing scholarships and education programs far beyond his and Mrs. Duce’s lives. Additionally, Mr. Duce established the Mack and Leora Duce Mark of Excellence in Nursing two years ago. The award is given to three nurses who are graduating from the various nursing schools affiliated with Scott & White. The recipients are selected based on the criteria of scholarship, leadership and citizenship. Each recipient receives a specially designed lapel pin, a framed certificate and a $1,000 cash award.

A personal connection

“The nice thing about our relationship with Scott & White is the letters we get from the students [in the nursing school],” Mr. Duce says. Those letters, which come annually from all corners of the world, give Mr. and Mrs. Duce a personal connection with the nursing students they love so much and further cements the connection between these important benefactors and the students they love to support. “Nurses are always the front line for any hospital,” he explains, “and that is why it is so important that they get the support they need to further their education.”

But nursing isn’t Mr. Duce’s only interest in Scott & White, just like amusement rides haven’t been his only business interest. The native of Kennard, Texas, who primarily grew up in Huntsville, has had several successful careers in his lifetime. He owned a finance company; he was an Air Force pilot in World War II, piloting the CT13 glider, which could carry up to forty soldiers; he manufactured and sold bumper cars to amusement parks; he ran a successful refrigeration business that equipped trucks to haul food products needing air-conditioning while in route; and he ran a business manufacturing automobile air-conditioning systems for cars sold overseas.

Glowing recommendations for Scott & White

His extensive international connections have also furthered his connection with Scott & White. From his relationships throughout the world, Mr. Duce has consistently been asked to recommend medical facilities in this country to friends and business acquaintances across the globe. And each time, without hesitation, that recommendation is Scott & White.

“I have that kind of confidence in Scott & White,” Mr. Duce says. “I’ve had many, many associates from around the world that I’ve sent to Scott & White. And each feels that he can get better health care there than he can get anywhere else.”

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