Obituaries: Bernadine P. Healy, 67, Former Red Cross Chief; Charles Wyly, 77, Dallas Arts Patron
August 9, 2011 | Read Time: 1 minute
Bernadine P. Healy, a former president of the American Red Cross who quit under pressure after a controversy over the charity’s response to the 2001 terrorist attacks, died Saturday after a 13-year battle with brain cancer, The New York Times reports. She was 67.
Dr. Healy, who was the first woman to head the National Institutes of Health, championed women’s health issues during a 40-year career in medicine, academe, government, and the nonprofit world.
Dr. Healy’s two-year tenure was marked by controversies over finances and blood-supply controls and battles with autonomous chapters. She resigned in 2001 amid criticism of the charity’s response to the September 11 terrorist attacks. [Editor’s note: The previous paragraph has been updated to correct an inaccuracy in the Times article. She was not the first physician to lead the charity. according to the organization’s archives.]
Charles Wyly, whose philanthropy helped reshape the Dallas arts scene, died Sunday in a car crash in Colorado, writes The Dallas Morning News.
The 77-year-old billionaire and his brother, Sam, made a fortune in retail, restaurant, and other companies. Charles Wyly was a key figure in the development of Dallas’s Arts District, donating $20-million to the AT&T Performing Arts Center, among other gifts.
