Jim Willerson was a BA, Life Member, Distinguished Alumnus, Phi Gama Delta, and Texas Cowboy. He was a champion swimmer who was inducted into the UT Athletics Hall of Honor. He was president emeritus, director of cardiology research, Laboratories at the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s- Baylor. Jim Willerson was the editor and chief of the American Heart Associations’ Circulation and an author of 27 textbooks. He was awarded 15 patents and co-founded four biotechnology startups.