Letter From President | Titus Harris Society

Letter from our President

Dan Goggin MD, Interim President

December 31, 2024

Dear Titus Harris Society members,

I hope that the holidays have been enjoyable for each of you and your families.

I want to catch everyone up on several things.

In the past 4-5 months, we have begun a long-term strategy of recruiting to increase the membership of the Society, which we will continue to pursue in 2024. In this regard, if you think of a colleague, whether from medical school or from residency/fellowship training at UTMB Galveston, whom you would like to invite into the Society, please do. Likewise, if you have a colleague who is esteemed and respected professionally, but who doesn’t have a Galveston experience, please suggest that he/she consider associate membership. Added to that, please send me your friend’s name and contact information so that I might reach out as well.

Do not worry if you passed through the rites of passage a long time ago, or only quite recently, we would love to have you become a member.

To follow up my Sept. 26th letter, our November 8 th meeting at the San Luis Hotel in Galveston during the annual TSPP meeting, was stimulating and worthwhile. Dr. Alcides Amador’s protégé from UTRGV, Sridher Srinivasan, gave a remarkable talk on the status of AI in Psychiatry, elucidating AI’s evolving role of assistance to our clinical work with patients.

Lastly, I am pleased to let each of you know that our Society’s website has been updated to be user friendly again! Accessing information, applications, and paying dues and/or contributing to the Towler Fund separately (for resident THS meeting assistance), are now easily doable.

If any of you can peer into the future or dexterously rub a crystal ball, and come up with ways to fill the Society’s coffers or strategize a financially successful future meeting, let me know. In the meantime, E.T. phone home.

Take care, Dan
Dan Goggin MD, Interim President, Titus Harris Society

Email: dagmdpafw@sbcglobal.net,

Office (817) 338-0808

October 30, 2025

Dear Titus Harris Executive Council and Members,

I'm writing to catch you up on things!

Next week, we will have a business meeting only hosted during the annual TSPP meeting, this year in Los Colinas, which will be 8:45 - 9:45 pm, Friday November 7th, in a room located near the TSPP's Opening Reception.

Please try to come if you can, or stop by!

Traditionally, our meetings cover several matters typically including finances, remembrances, and professional meetings that are either for collegiality or with added CME programs. This year, the Moody Library's interest in an exhibit in Special Collections for either Titus Harris and/or Bill Bondurant will be discussed.

In addition, please consider this letter your notice for 2025 dues, $50.00.

On the website, titusharrissociety.com, in the "Home" or "Contact" sections you can now pay dues and if desired make a separate contribution to the Towler Fund for resident assistance.

Alternatively, you may pay by check and regular mail to:

Titus Harris Society
527 21st St., #204
Galveston, TX 77550

We are all aware that we are on the verge of 2026, the 100th anniversary of Dr. Harris beginning the Department of Psychiatry at UTMB.

Take care,
Dan Goggin MD, Interim President, Titus Harris Society

Email: dagmdpafw@sbcglobal.net,

Office (817) 338-0808

May 5, 2025

Dear Titus Harris Society members,

I am writing to catch everyone up on several matters pertaining to the Society.
The memorial service for Dr. Bill Bondurant occurred Saturday, March 22nd, at the First
Presbyterian Church in Galveston, and a number of our members attended. The service
was low-key, respectful, and it was uplifting to reflect on such a well-lived life as BB's was.

At the turn of the year into 2025, we completed a redesign of the Titus Harris Society website,
with its locator titusharrissociety.com. Myself, Beth in my office, Leticia in Galveston, and
Alcides Amador worked with the webmaker, and we feel it is now current and usable. For
example, dues payments using the website are completely separate from voluntary Towler
Fund contributions. Take a look, and get back to us with any suggestions. These newsletters
will begin to be posted as well.

Since our last full-scale meeting in January, 2020, and through and past the pandemic,
staying connected as a Society has been difficult. It would be good for everyone to encourage
those who have finished training at UTMB in the last 5-15 years to join us. Taking advantage of
the website, one could also reference it and consider encouraging associate membership by a
valued colleague.

This is an interesting update: my home library has become a way station for THS memorabilia,
after the Department of Psychiatry moved into John Sealy Hospital. In the coming weeks I will
sort through it for keepsakes, because Kelly Caldwell in Special Collections at the Moody
Library would like to do an exhibit on Dr. Harris, and with Bill's recent loss, perhaps him as well.
I will keep you posted on this.

This is it for now. Take care, Dan
Dan Goggin, MD, Interim President, Titus Harris Society

Email: dagmdpafw@sbcglobal.net,

Office (817) 338-0808

March 4, 2025

Dear Titus Harris Society Colleagues,

With deepest regret, I write to tell you that Bill Bondurant has passed away.

His obituary is pending, but I learned of his loss the week or so previously, on February 26th, in
front of his home from a friendly neighbor out on her afternoon walk. She of course had known
Bill for a long time, and liked him very much.

I subsequently learned from his friend, Dr. Courtney Townsend in Galveston, that his children
are planning a service within the next several weeks at the First Presbyterian Church in
Galveston.

Of course to all of us Bill, “BB,” was our iconic and forever leader: the last practicing psychiatrist of the Titus Harris Clinic, and who for several decades and along with his outstanding secretary, Maria Villarreal, was the backbone secretary/treasurer of the Society. After recovering from multiple myeloma, he brought together a number of us in late 2017, to reinvigorate the Society.

None of us can forget those THS letterhead newsletters by Bill over the many years throughout
our practicing careers, which threaded us together as a close-knit, dedicated group of alumni
practitioners. Nor can we forget how he engineered so many of our high quality traditional professional meetings, whether large or small, either by himself or with Executive Council planners, or with the Chairs of Psychiatry at UTMB Galveston. During my years as Society president, his soft spoken but earnest directive advice was invaluable, and as with others of us who have similarly served, not forgettable.

I’ll try to send out specific information, if possible, regarding Dr. Bondurant’s service.

With gratitude for BB and sadness,

Dan Goggin MD, Interim President, Titus Harris Society

Email: dagmdpafw@sbcglobal.net,

Office (817) 338-0808

March 9, 2026

Dear Titus Harris Society members,

Hey! I think our first survey caught everybody Rip Van Winkling it right after the holidays.

So, let's try again!

I've revised the survey questions, since the drift of the dozen responses already recieved was positive about Q's #2 and #3: amendments in favor of 1) allowing medical students planning to become psychiatrists to become members, and 2) psychiatrists age 70 or older, whether or not retired, to have annual dies changed to "encouraged, but voluntary."

This time around, you'll get to have a little fun answering the revised #4, which is now #2.

We're now in the 66th year of the Titus Harris Society and the 100th anniversary of the Department of Psychiatry at UTMB Galveston. Young Alcides Amador has stepped forward admirably to lead us as secretary-treasurer, but we need others to lead us in future years. Please give careful consideration to #4.

We're still trying to hire our next Galveston-based secretary. So, EMAIL OR WRITE BACK TO ME, DR. GOGGIN AT:

P.O. Box 1755
Fort Worth, TX 76101-1755
OR

Email: dagmdpafw@sbcglobal.net

Thank you everyone,
Dan Goggin MD, Interim President,
Titus Harris Society

2026 2ND THS SURVEY
1. What age group are you in?
29 - 40
40-54
54-68
68-88+

2. In order for the Titus HARRIS Society to have another traditional high quality CME meeting in 2026, my preference for the time of year for it would be:
A) June
B) September
C) Whenever Dr. Dwight Wolf can show up and sing and play a musical CME

3. If there is a meeting as per #2, I'll probably (greater than 50% chance) show up:
Yes
No

4. An era has passed with the loss of our iconic leader, Dr. Bill Bondurant, last year.

Would you seriously consider becoming an officer within the next (3) years, 2027 - 2029?
Yes
No

Update us with your name, address, email, and phone number.