Honorary Chairs of Celebrating Women have decades of service to Baylor
Peggy and Leonard Riggs Jr ., M . D ., are the honorary chairmen of the 18th annual Celebrating Women luncheon , to be held Thursday , October 26 , at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas .
“ We were hosting the Celebrating Women Kick-Off Tea at our home , and our friends said , ‘ We ’ d like you to be the honorary chairs ,’” Peggy said . “ That ’ s how it happened , and we felt very surprised and honored .”
“ We were so flattered ,” said Dr . Riggs . “ I assure you we don ’ t deserve it ─ but we greatly appreciate it . It ’ s an honor .”
While the Riggses have supported Celebrating Women and Baylor Health Care System Foundation in countless ways for decades , their name is , quite literally , synonymous with emergency care at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas . The Emergency Department bears their name , for good reason .
Dr . Riggs became the first physician to work full time in the “ emergency room ” ( as it was called then ) at Baylor Dallas . During that time , ERs were not staffed with fulltime physicians .
“ Doctors were on call and would be in their office or in the operating room , and the nurses were down in the ER by themselves , and they ’ d try to figure out what was wrong with the patient ,” Dr . Riggs said . “ Then the nurse would run over to the call list to get the doctor to come in to see the patient . It took hours sometimes to get somebody there .”
In the early 1970s , Dr . Riggs , a Texas native , had just finished his residency in Memphis , Tennessee . This was followed by a six-month hiatus before his deployment with the Navy to Vietnam . He ’ d always enjoyed working in ERs as a medical school student , so after he returned from Vietnam , he called Baylor Dallas and asked if they needed a physician for their emergency room . They gladly accepted his offer .
He and a fellow physician would coordinate their shifts during weekdays so that a physician was always available . Residents would moonlight in the ER on weekends .
When his deployment ended in 1972 , Dr . Riggs returned to the Baylor Dallas Emergency Department and served as director of emergency medicine from 1974 to 1998 . He was a founding member of the Foundation in 1978 , and both he and his wife , Peggy , have been actively involved ever since . Dr . Riggs became chairman of the Foundation board in 2006 , helping the Foundation raise more than $ 100 million in his four years at the helm .
One of the highlights of Dr . Riggs ’ time as chairman was the campaign to renovate and expand the emergency department at Baylor Dallas . The renovation more than doubled Baylor Dallas ’ capacity to treat patients requiring urgent and trauma care . Dr . Riggs and Peggy were so instrumental in raising more than $ 11 million for the project and recruiting the support of dozens of friends , the ED was renamed the Riggs Emergency Department in recognition of their efforts .
Since hosting the Celebrating Women Kick-Off Tea earlier this year , the Riggses have been looking forward to the event .
“ Celebrating Women is a shining example of bringing awareness to breast cancer and letting patients know that there is an extraordinary level of care available to them locally ,” Dr . Riggs said . “ It lets the families of North Texas know that Baylor is working hard and making tremendous strides in diagnosis , treatment and research . It ’ s just a wonderful event , and Peggy and I are honored to serve as this year ’ s honorary chairs .”
For more information about underwriting opportunities and tickets to Celebrating Women , call 214.820.4500 or email CelebratingWomen @ BSWHealth . org . Sponsorship and underwriting opportunities are available ; individual tickets start at $ 250 and table prices start at $ 2,500 .
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