Dr. Bruce Logue

News Obituary Article

ATLANTA: Dr. Bruce Logue, 95, expert on matters of heart

By DERRICK HENRY

Bruce Logue, one of the first doctors in Georgia to specialize in cardiology, was all about heart.

Not only was Dr. Logue legendary as a diagnostician, he generously shared his knowledge with countless colleagues and students. In 1946 he established Emory University's first residency training program in cardiology at Grady Memorial Hospital. He helped found the Emory University Clinic in 1953 and served as chief of cardiology and medicine at Emory University Hospital and Emory University Clinic from 1957 to 1980, at which time he took a second career as director of the Carlyle Fraser Heart Center at Crawford Long-Emory University Hospital. He retired in 1987.

"Bruce was one in a million," said Dr. Charles R. Hatcher Jr. of Atlanta, a cardiology surgeon who operated on many of Dr. Logue's patients. "He was a very dynamic physician, very dedicated to his patients. And he was an extremely good teacher and diagnostician. Bruce was very good with a stethoscope. He could make a diagnosis in seconds and was extremely accurate. He tried to make exams as economical as possible for his patients."

With Emory cardiologist Dr. J. Willis Hurst, former chairman of the department of medicine at Emory, Dr. Logue co-edited the first three editions of "The Heart" (first published in 1967), which became the leading textbook on the topic and was published in five languages. "It was regarded as the gold standard, the definitive work on the heart," Dr. Hatcher said. "It was one of the best-selling medical textbooks in the world."

Dr. Logue also published some 90 scientific articles on cardiovascular disease.

Robert Bruce Logue Sr., 95, of Atlanta, died Tuesday at his residence in Lenbrook Square. He had heart-related problems. The memorial service was Friday. H.M. Patterson & Son, Arlington Chapel, was in charge of arrangements.

Dr. Logue did not originally intend to become a cardiologist. After graduating from Emory University School of Medicine in 1937 and serving residencies in Montreal and at Grady, he joined the Emory University medical faculty in 1940, practicing internal medicine.

With the outbreak of World War II, Dr. Logue was pressed into work as a military cardiologist. He started in Atlanta at Lawson General, then was transferred to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where he became head of the cardiology section, said his daughter, Carolyn Luesing of Atlanta. After 52 weeks of military service, he was discharged at Fort McPherson as a lieutenant colonel.

When, in 1946, Dr. Logue was offered the opportunity to build a cardiology teaching program for Emory, he jumped at the opportunity. "He loved teaching; that's what he really loved the most," said his son, Bruce Logue Jr. of Vinings. "That's why he never went into private practice."

As busy as Dr. Logue was, he understood life was not just about work. He golfed until he was 91, shot his age at 87 and landed a hole in one on the Capital City Club course with his driver.

He kept a woodworking shop in his basement and became a proficient furniture maker, building lowboy dressers, corner cupboards with glass fronts, and pieces with fold-out drawers.

A gourmet cook, Dr. Logue allowed himself to indulge in French cuisine with rich sauces.

With his wife Carolyne Logue, who died in 2001, Dr. Logue was a regular on the ballroom dance floor for 50 years.

As the years passed, Dr. Logue's honors mounted. In 1969 he received the Master Teachers Award of the American College of Cardiology and the following year was given the Emory University Medical Alumni Award of Honor. The Emory University Board of Trustees established the R. Bruce Logue Chair of Cardiology in 1986.

For his prowess as a quarterback at Emory from 1934-37, Dr. Logue was inducted into the Emory Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

Additional survivors include five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

© 2007 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution