FOR RELEASE: July 3, 2006

GALVESTON, Texas — Galveston residents Dr. Julius L. Jinkins Jr. and his wife, Anne, have established a professorship in the University of Texas Medical Branch’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in memory of his father, a longtime member of the department’s faculty.

The Dr. J.L. Jinkins and Dr. J.L. Jinkins Jr. Professorship in Gynecology will be awarded to exemplary faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of patient care, research and education. Dr. Julius L. Jinkins Sr. was the second of three brothers to graduate from UTMB, receiving his medical degree in 1916. He began his celebrated career on the obstetrics and gynecology faculty at his alma mater, later starting at UTMB the first infertility clinic in Texas. In 1974, Julius Jinkins Sr. and his wife, Kittie Fae, established an endowment at UTMB — the Kittie Fae and J.L. Jinkins Lectureship in Fertility and Sterility. After a 66-year tenure at the academic health center, Jinkins retired in 1982. He died four years later at the age of 94.

Like his father and uncles, Julius Jinkins Jr. attended UTMB, earning his M.D. degree in 1947. He eventually worked alongside his father in UTMB’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Jinkins said he wanted to create the professorship at UTMB because he holds the university in such high regard. “UTMB has been a big part of my life — I went to school here and served on the faculty,” the Galveston native said. “My heart and my father’s heart both lie here.”

Anne Jinkins said both she and her husband had been considering establishing another endowment at UTMB for some time. The two already made a commitment to create the Julius L. Jinkins Jr., M.D. and Anne M. Jinkins Fellowship in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “I had made up my mind to establish something in my husband’s name,” she said. “He brought up the idea of doing something in his dad’s name about the same time, so I suggested that we establish an endowment in both their names.”

The Jinkinses’ contribution is part of UTMB’s Family Matters campaign. The five-year, $25 million initiative enables university employees and retirees to contribute to an area within the academic health center’s educational, clinical or research programs that may have personal significance to them. Family Matters is part of the university’s Timeless Values, Pioneering Solutions campaign, a five-year, $250 million fund-raising initiative to enhance areas of excellence in teaching the art and science of health care; infectious diseases, biodefense and vaccine development; health care access and telehealth; and longevity, chronic diseases and neurological recovery. Julius Jinkins Jr. is a member of the Galveston Regional Committee of the Timeless Values, Pioneering Solutions campaign.

Dr. Garland D. Anderson, chair of UTMB’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, thanked the Jinkinses for making yet another contribution to enhance the medical specialty. “The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is honored to receive this professorship, which bears the names of two faculty members who played incredible roles in advancing the department to what it is today,” said Anderson, who holds the Jennie Sealy Smith Distinguished Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology. “We are deeply grateful to Dr. and Mrs. Jinkins for their continued generosity.”

Added Dr. Valerie M. Parisi, dean of UTMB’s School of Medicine, “The Jinkins Professorship will help the university recruit and retain outstanding ob/gyn faculty members who will be ideal instructors and role models for our students. Dr. and Mrs. Jinkins have my deepest thanks.” Parisi holds the Thomas N. and Gleaves T. James Distinguished Chair and is chief academic officer and vice president for academic program administration and services at UTMB.

UTMB President John D. Stobo said the university is fortunate to have alumni like Julius Jinkins. “I sincerely appreciate Dr. and Mrs. Jinkins for their confidence in what we’re doing at UTMB and for their desire to help us continue to build upon our successes,” Stobo said. “By funding this professorship, they are contributing to the professional growth of some of our finest faculty members and investing in the health of future generations of Texas women.”

After receiving his medical degree from UTMB, Julius Jinkins Jr. interned at Philadelphia General Hospital. He returned to UTMB in 1948 for his residency training in obstetrics and gynecology and opened a private practice in the Galveston area three years later. Prior to his retirement in 1989, Jinkins served as an active staff member and leader at the former St. Mary’s Hospital in Galveston and as a clinical associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UTMB. Between 1951 and 1989, he delivered more than 6,000 babies.

Jinkins has been an active member of the Galveston community and is currently a member of UTMB’s Heritage Council, President’s Cabinet and Development Board. The Heritage Council is an honorary society composed of individuals who have remembered the university in their long-range financial plans. The President’s Cabinet is a volunteer organization of Houston-Galveston-area community and business leaders, UTMB faculty and staff, and alumni who provide financial resources to help advance the mission of the academic health center. The Development Board is an organization that helps create fund-raising strategies for the university, and its members act as “ambassadors,” assisting in outreach efforts to alumni, patients and other supporters.

Like his father, Jinkins is a past president of the Texas Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He received the Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus Award — the UTMB School of Medicine’s highest alumni honor — in 2002.

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
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Galveston, Texas 77555-0144
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