Thomas Duke Kimbrough, M.D.

Dr. Thomas D. Kimbrough died Sunday, March 1 at home in Galveston, Texas.  Tom was born January 21, 1951, in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in Odessa, Texas.  Tom loved west Texas and the wide-open skies and traveled back west often throughout his life.  He left Odessa in 1969 to attend the University of Texas at Austin and remained a lifelong Longhorn fan.  Tom was accepted into medical school after three years at UT and in 1972, moved to Galveston to attend the University of Texas Medical Branch, before completing his undergraduate degree. It was in medical school where he discovered his interest and passion for surgery. But it was joining the Phi Beta Pi medical fraternity which was really the highlight of his medical school years. His fraternity brothers remained close throughout their lives, reuniting often over the past fifty years for good times filled with laughter and many Phi Beta stories.    

Tom graduated from medical school in 1976 and went on to do a residency and internship in general surgery at UTMB Galveston.  After completing his residency, he returned to his hometown of Odessa in 1981, where he went into private practice in general surgery, and held the role of Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery for the Texas Tech Regional Health Science Center in Odessa, from 1984-1989. He left Odessa for Boston, Massachusetts in 1989 to complete a Research Fellowship in Surgical Nutrition and Metabolism in the Department of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.  

Tom returned to UTMB, Galveston in 1990. For the next 31 years, he dedicated his time and his talents to the University he valued.  He became a full Professor of General Surgery in the Department of Surgery in 2009 and held many roles in his efforts to improve and contribute to the highest quality of care for patients.  Besides seeing patients in clinics and operating regularly, Tom served as Medical Director, General Surgery Clinics, and Vice Chairman, Clinical Operations for the Department of Surgery. He served as Chief Medical Director for all Campus-Based Clinics from 2007-2009, assisting with the recovery of the campus clinics following the devastation of Hurricane Ike in 2008.  From 2014-2016, he held the role of Associate Chief Medical Officer for UTMB Health Systems.  

Tom always said he owed UTMB a debt he could never repay because it gave him his livelihood and his purpose. He was dedicated to UTMB, and as a result held positions on no fewer than 43 different committees throughout his years on the faculty, some for the entirety of his career.  Noteworthy involvements were Chairman, School of Medicine Curriculum Committee; Chair, Academic Review Committee; Chair, Professional Liability Review Committee; Clinic Director, Casebook Program; and Physician Advisor, Care Management.     

Tom was devoted to medical education and enjoyed his teaching and mentoring responsibilities.  He served as Director, Surgical Clerkship; Chairman, Surgery Education Committee; and Chairman, Committee for Medical Student Education-Department of Surgery.  He was a Facilitator, Small Group Surgery Clerkship-3rd Year; and Facilitator, Practice of Medicine Year 2. 

Medical student education was so important to Tom that he created the ‘Thomas Duke Kimbrough, MD Scholarship’ in the John Sealy School of Medicine at UTMB Galveston.  He said once in a speech to scholarship recipients, “For those to whom much has been given, much is expected.”  A quote he believed and lived every day, so never failed to give generously.    

Tom felt it was his duty to support his professional organizations.  He was a member of the Singleton Surgical Society, serving as President 1994-1995.  He was a member of the Texas Medical Association, where he was a Delegate from Ector County for 2 years, and a Delegate from Galveston County for 25 years. He was a two-time president of the Galveston County Medical Society, 1997-1998 and 2009-2010.   Tom was a Fellow, American College of Surgeons, and an active member of the Texas Surgical Society. He was a dedicated member of the John Sealy School of Medicine Alumni Association Board of Trustees and served as President 2009-2011. 

Tom retired from UTMB, Galveston in 2021, ending a career in medicine spanning 45 years, 36 of those years in Galveston.  He was a humble man, and most people never knew the significant contributions he made to the University he loved.  

While Tom appreciated his time as a medical professional, it was really his personal life he valued most, so he enjoyed retirement.  He was a voracious reader, and he was interested in everything.  Books filled his life and his home, and he was never without two or three in progress.  He loved to work out and was well known as a regular at the UTMB Alumni Fieldhouse.  

Tom was an avid environmentalist and believed we were here on earth to be good stewards for our planet.  He loved hiking and being outdoors and had a great group of friends with whom he hiked Kilimanjaro in 2002.  From then on, this group of men traveled and hiked together for many years to come, having adventures that still make them laugh. 

But there was no place he loved more than Big Bend National Park.  During his years in Odessa, he spent as much time as he could in Big Bend, hiking, rafting and backpacking with a close group of Odessa friends who remained important to Tom throughout his life.  He continued to travel to Big Bend National Park, making two or three trips west every year. 

Tom is preceded in death by his parents, William Duke Kimbrough and Jane Rombauer Saubert.  He leaves behind his devoted wife Beth Scribner Kimbrough; his much-loved children Christopher Kimbrough (James Cagle), Charlie Kimbrough, MD (Samantha), and Katie Gengler, MD (Brian), by his first wife Sharla; stepdaughter Cara Quigley (Brett Rutledge); grandchildren Gigi, Duke and Gus Gengler, and John and Liddy Kimbrough; his sister Cassie Wedding (James), and brother John Kimbrough. 

A special thank you to Dr. Courtney M. Townsend, Jr., Dr. Leah Low, and the Reverand Jimmy Abbott for their love and support without end.  

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 21, at 1:00 pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church in Galveston. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider sending a memorial contribution in Tom’s name to one of the organizations close to his heart. 

Thomas Duke Kimbrough, MD Scholarship in the John Sealy School of Medicine at UTMB Galveston.  Gifts may be made online at https://www.utmb.edu/giving or mailed to the UTMB Office of Development, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, Texas 77555-0148.

Trinity Episcopal Church, online at https://www.trinitygalv.org/give or donations in Tom’s name mailed to Trinity Episcopal Church, 2216 Avenue H, Galveston, Texas 77550.

Big Bend Conservancy, online at https://bigbendconservancy.square.site. Let them know it is in memory of Tom by emailing membership@bigbendconservancy.org.

A full obituary will be in The Galveston Daily News on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

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