James Fredrick Arens M.D.

1934 - 2025

James Fredrick Arens M.D.
04/20/1934 - 07/27/2025
James Frederick Arens, M.D. passed away on July 27, 2025, in his home in Brenham, Texas due to complications of congestive heart failure, renal failure and pneumonia.
He was born in the home of his maternal grandparents in Hamel, Minnesota on April 20, 1934, to Frederick (Fritz) & Aurelia Arens. He grew up with his sister, Ellen Margaret Arens.
After high school, he attended the Crosier Seminary in Onamia, Minnesota before attending Creighton University where he also graduated from Medical School in 1959. He then completed a rotating internship at Tripler Army Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. Next, he completed a two-year anesthesiology residency at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, LA under the tutelage of the legendary Dr. John Adriani who remained a close confidant and adviser for the rest of his life.
He then served in the Air Force for four years. In 1965, while at his last assignment at Travis AFB in California, his hospital commander who was the commanding general with no medical training ordered him to form an intensive care unit (ICU) which became a career changing event.
At the age of 32, he was appointed Chairman of Anesthesiology at Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, Louisiana during the early days of coronary artery surgery (CABG).
Dr. Alton Ochsner encouraged him to open an ICU with only one ventilator available. The unit rapidly expanded to 32 beds with a respiratory therapy department and a blood-gas laboratory.
In 1972 he was recruited to the University of Mississippi in Jackson as Chairman of Anesthesiology and was joined by Drs. Joseph Gabel, David Glass, Alan Tonnesen, Fred Davis, Karl Becker and others to develop a "first rate department" where the faculty (eight in all) would make daily rounds in the ICU before going to staff the operating rooms.
In 1977, he was appointed as Chairman at University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), in Galveston where he would eventually chair the System practice plan and later be appointed Vice President for Clinical Affairs and Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital. He was also awarded the first Sealy-Smith Chair in Anesthesiology. While at UTMB he also chaired the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Committee on Managed Care to oversee the medical care for 166,000 prisoners at the TDC Hospital, one of his most interesting challenges.
He was to later serve as Chairman of Anesthesiology at both MD Anderson Cancer Center and at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. He felt his most significant accomplishment was training hundreds of anesthesiology residents who were taught to be physicians first and anesthesiologists second.
They were proud to be called ATAs (Arens Trained Anesthesiologists). Almost a dozen became presidents of at least 4 state societies of anesthesiologists, three as state medical society presidents, three became chairs of departments of anesthesiology; two presidents of the American Society of Anesthesiologists; two presidents of the American Board of Anesthesiology, and one a Texas State Senator.
As one resident stated: "for all the honors, awards and accolades received, for every chairmanship and political position held; Dr. Arens at his core was our teacher. He knew what was required and how to get there. ATA's practice nationwide and he never stopped being a mentor to each of us. Our lives and careers are a direct reflection of Dr. Arens' vision, accomplishments and life's work."
They followed in the footsteps of the "Chief" who served as President of the both the Texas and American Societies of Anesthesiologists, the American Board of Anesthesiology, as well as the only Anesthesiologist to serve as President of the American Board of Medical Specialties.
He received Distinguished Service Awards or the equivalent from the ASA, the TSA, the ABMS, the AMA and the Creighton School of Medicine. He was most proud of his American Board of Anesthesiology Board Certificate # 1 in Critical Care Medicine.
When asked to explain his success, he would quote Dr. Arthur Guyton, the well-known physiologist and friend, who told him "never be afraid to be the dumbest one in your department or in the room" and he would often comment that "l took that advice to heart."
After his final retirement, he and wife Ann moved to Brenham where they raised dogs, miniature donkeys and cattle at various times. He served for many years on the Board of Directors of the Blinn College Foundation.
He was preceded in death by his grandson, Peyton Arens, who lost his battle to rhabdomyosarcoma at the age of 12. He leaves behind his wife of 40 years, Ann Gardner Arens; daughter Patricia Ann Arens Goforth, son James (Jim) F. Arens, II and four grandchildren, David and Lauren Goforth, and Elsbeth and Porter Arens.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Dr. Arens name at: Blinn College Foundation https://www.blinn.edu/foundation/index.html
Arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 West Main St., Brenham.