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James Charles Thompson, MD
James Charles Thompson, MD
Galveston – Dr. James C. Thompson, a leading surgical scientist and educator, died in his home in Galveston, Texas, on May 9, 2008, of prostate cancer. He was 79 years old. From 1970 to 1995 he was professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston and professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. He is credited with building at UTMB one of the leading surgical scientific programs in the USA.
Dr. Thompson was born in San Antonio to Oscar and Vera Thompson of Hebbronville, Texas on August 16, 1928. He attended school in Hebbronville until, at the age of 15, he enrolled in Texas A & M University and graduated from there with his bachelor’s degree. He earned his M.D. and M.A. in anatomy and endocrinology from the University of Texas at Galveston. After completing his internship there, he moved to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, where he served his surgical residency, interrupted by a two-year tour of duty in Germany with the U.S. Army. Dr. Thompson was appointed Assistant Professor of Surgery at Penn in 1961. He then went to UCLA/Harbor General Hospital in 1963 and in 1967 and became Chief of Surgery at Harbor General and Professor of Surgery at UCLA
In 1970, Dr. Thompson returned to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery, a position he held for 25 years. During that time he was fortunate to recruit a stellar group of clinician-scientists and an extraordinary productive group of research fellows. Dr. Thompson’s research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1960.
Dr. Thompson has participated in more than 1,300 publications which deal chiefly with mechanisms of control of gut function and with clinical surgery of the stomach, pancreas and intestine. His work has contributed immeasurably to the field, and he has been recognized by many colleagues for demonstrating extraordinary dedication to surgical research and for his role as a mentor in the development of young surgical investigators. Dr. Thompson’s accomplishments have been acknowledged by the National Institutes of Health which conferred on him its Merit Award in 1986. In 1996, the American College of Surgeons awarded him its highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award.
Dr. Thompson’s honors include the presidencies of the Society for Surgical Chairmen, the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, the Texas Surgical Society, the Southern Surgical Association, the James IV Association of Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, and the American Surgical Association. In 2000, he was elected to the American Philosophical Society and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science. In 2006, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of University Surgeons.
Dr. Thompson’s work has taken him to medical educational institutions throughout the world, including France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Japan, Hungary, India, China, New Guinea, Chile, and South Korea. In 1973, long before the end of the Cold War, Dr. Thompson was the US-USSR Health Exchange Professor in Moscow and Leningrad. He received an honorary M.D. from the University of Lund in Sweden. In addition, he was awarded an honorary Professorship for Life from China’s Beijing University and named an Honorary Fellow by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. This March, UTMB’s Department of Surgery established the James C. Thompson MD Distinguished Chair In Surgery to honor Dr. Thompson’s contribution to the department and to UTMB.
Dr. Thompson is survived by his loving children, grandchildren, and great grandchild: Patricia Thompson of Atlanta; Jan Thompson Brown, her daughter Emily Ellwood and Emily’s daughter Audra Kelly of Austin; Gayle Thompson Crocker and her daughters Leah and Laura of Corpus Christi; James Charles Thompson, Jr. of Humble, Texas; John Webster Thompson, his wife Pam, and their children Taylor and Walker of College Station, Texas; and step-daughter Laura Fargas of Washington, D.C. He is also survived by his brother, Oscar Thompson of Irving, Texas, and by his beloved cousin, JoAnna Moreland of Dallas. Dr. Thompson also leaves behind his dear friend Bebe Jensen of Salt Lake City, with whom he shared many wonderful conversations and travel adventures. He was blessed by the love and affection of numerous close friends and colleagues.
Dr. Thompson had an incredible zest for life. He was fascinated by everything life has to offer, told fabulous stories, and charmed everyone he encountered with his clever sense of humor. He will forever be remembered as a surgeon who possessed an astounding intellect, an insatiable passion for knowledge, and a zeal for applying his talents and extraordinary abilities to improving quality of life. He cared not only about science but also its impact on people, frequently championing the cause of health care for all who need it. His legacy of excellence and caring will live on through the many scientists for whom he served as mentor. His legacy of devotion and compassion will live on through his family and friends for whom he provided immeasurable love and inspiration.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, May 19, 2008 at 4:00 P.M. at UTMB William C. Levin Hall in the main auditorium.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 570127, Houston, Texas 77257-0127.
J Levy & Termini Funeral Home
Published May 18, 2008
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