James is the quiet one. George is the people person. That's the word on the two Magovern brothers who run the heart program at Allegheny General Hospital.
It's an arrangement that works, they say, and their father, George Magovern Sr., agrees. The two sons describe a close-knit family, with a busy but engaged father.
"We always got along," says Magovern Sr. "The three of us got along really well, and I have to certainly give my wife a lot of credit for bringing up a good family."
His four daughters chose other professions: Suzanne Magovern is a writer; Frances Magovern O'Connor is a lawyer; Ann Magovern is a nun and Mary Magovern Scott is a nurse. The father says he never encouraged any of them to become a doctor. "It was just the times, I guess."
James Magovern, who is known as the more intellectual and intense of the two sons, never felt overshadowed by his more gregarious older brother, George Jr.
"He was certainly older, and I certainly competed with him, but I was a better student and a better athlete. Had we reversed our positions, it would have been harder. He pushed me, and I pushed him, but we're actually good friends."
Today, George Jr. oversees Allegheny General's cardiac surgery division, which requires skillful management of people. James runs research and product development.
To some who might wonder whether nepotism was a factor in the sons' careers, George Jr. issues a polite defense: "When I was in training at Johns Hopkins University's internship program, we started out with 19 interns, and only five finished," including Magovern.
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