Honor Dr. James Mahoney

Senate Resolution No. 3161 BY: Senator PARKER MOURNING the death of Dr. James Mahoney, revered pulmonologist, respected colleague, loving father, brother and son, and distinguished member of his community WHEREAS, There are certain outstanding citizens from this great Empire State who, through their selfless commitment and significant dedication, have served to better the quality of life in our communities and have had a measurable positive impact on the lives of its residents; Dr. James Mahoney was one such individual; and WHEREAS, It is with great sorrow and deep regret that this Legislative Body records the passing of Dr. James Mahoney, noting the significance of his purposeful life and accomplishments; and WHEREAS, Dr. James Mahoney, a lung specialist treating patients with severe respiratory illnesses, of Freeport, New York, died on Monday,

April 27, 2020, at the age of 62, due to complications related to the novel coronavirus; and WHEREAS, The middle of five children to Oscar Mahoney, who served in the United States Air Force, and the late Leila Mahoney, James grew up in military housing in Bermuda and on Nassau's South Shore; and WHEREAS, To his friends, he was affectionately known as Charlie, a nickname one of his father's buddies gave him as a child; and WHEREAS, A standout athlete, James Mahoney was the Captain of the football team at Roosevelt High School; while taking classes at what was then C.W. Post in Brookville, he took a job transporting patients at the Long Beach Hospital; this was when he knew he loved medicine; and WHEREAS, James Mahoney graduated from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, Class of 1986, and never left; he subsequently joined the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program, completing it in 1989 and was selected as one of the best residents to serve as Chief Resident from 1989-1990; and WHEREAS, Following that appointment, Dr. James Mahoney joined the Pulmonary/Critical Care Fellowship, graduating in 1993; he then joined the faculty of the Department of Medicine as Assistant Professor of Medicine and was a constant and reliable provider of primary care, pulmonary medicine, and critical care services to the community; furthermore, he won numerous awards, including Teacher of the Year; and WHEREAS, He was an exceptional internist, pulmonologist, and critical care intensivist who served the Central Brooklyn community; his expertise in lung diseases and critical care positioned him as one of the most valuable physicians in the Department of Medicine; and WHEREAS, Dr. James Mahoney was planning on retiring in January, but then the pandemic hit; he knew the danger but did not hesitate to help when he saw another human being in need; and WHEREAS, He treated COVID-positive patients at SUNY Downstate and NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, and refused to take a day off or to avoid close contact with his patients; and WHEREAS, Dr. James Mahoney ran from crashing patient to crashing patient, always at the bedside where it was most dangerous; he ran in when others ran out and died doing what he loved to do best; and WHEREAS, When he was not at a hospital caring for patients there, Dr. James Mahoney was conducting telemedicine sessions with his regular patients from home, making sure they were wearing masks and washing their hands; and WHEREAS, Well-respected and admired by both colleagues and patients, Dr. James Mahoney's accomplishments are all the more notable as African American doctors make up less than 5% of the physician workforce nationwide; and WHEREAS, If his patients were too sick or too busy to come to the hospital for routine checkups, Dr. James Mahoney would willingly make house calls; he not only healed people's bodies, he healed their minds and their souls; and WHEREAS, With a stellar reputation for being the best of the best, Dr. James Mahoney was often referred to as University Hospital's "Jay-Z"; an inspiration for students, particularly African American students, he was a legend; and WHEREAS, While in medical school, James Mahoney traveled to California, where he met Lisa Johnson; the couple fell in love and married in 1987 and had three wonderful children: Jamie, actor and musician; Stephanie, law student at Howard University School of Law; and Ryan, student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; James and Lisa divorced in 2004 but remained close friends; and WHEREAS, Dr. James Mahoney, who was a natural educator, constant storyteller and jokester, loved baseball, casinos and cruises; each year, he looked forward with great anticipation to his family cruise; and WHEREAS, A man of great faith and a heart of gold, Dr. James Mahoney was indeed the embodiment of "Humanism in Medicine" in its finest form; and WHEREAS, In addition to his father and three children, Dr. James Mahoney is survived by his two brothers, Dr. Melvin Mahoney (Mildred Llanetta) and Ronald Mahoney; two sisters, Rutha "Sissy" Mahoney and Saundra "Chick" (Douglas) Chisolm; and his girlfriend and life partner, Dawn Havens; as well as numerous friends and colleagues who will long cherish his memory; and WHEREAS, Dr. James Mahoney was extremely kind and compassionate, accepting, considerate, patient, generous, smart, and loving; he will be deeply missed and truly merits the grateful tribute of this Legislative Body; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to mourn the death of Dr. James Mahoney, and to express its deepest condolences to his family; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to the family of Dr. James Mahoney.