In 1977, Dr. Joseph Agris spent four months and $30,000 getting ready to help a little girl who was born without a nose.
He ordered the appropriate tests. He did the preliminary exams. And he made arrangements with the world's leading expert in craniofacial surgery to fly from Paris to Houston to handle the surgery.
Just days before all that was supposed to come together at The Methodist Hospital, Agris turned on the 10 o'clock news and saw that same little girl boarding a plane to Dallas to have the procedure done there.
At least in Agris' mind, there was no question who was responsible for the change in plans. He was Marvin Zindler, the man in the white wig and blue glasses at Channel 13, Eyewitness News.
Agris grabbed the child's thick medical file, drove to the TV station, and slammed the papers on Zindler's desk.
“We had everything set to go for this little girl, but you didn't know that because all you wanted was the picture!”
Not to mention, Agris thought, the publicity. And the credit.
The plastic surgeon stomped out of the office. Zindler called him a few hours later.
He said, “We have other kids who need help.”
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