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Posted February 2010 Endowment establishes Thames chair  For more than 20 years, Suzan Brown Thames has worked tirelessly to improve the health care of children in Mississippi. Now her name will be synonymous with her life's passion through an endowment to the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The Suzan Brown Thames Chair in Pediatrics in the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children has been established as a recruitment tool to attract the highest level of professionals to train future pediatricians and to care for Mississippi's children. The announcement of the chair, a surprise to Thames, was made at the 2008 National Philanthropy Day luncheon. Thames accepted the award for 2008 Volunteer Fund-raiser of the Year at the event, and afterward, she questioned family and friends about keeping the endowed chair a secret over the last two months. "I have never been so shocked, so overwhelmed and so proud," she said. "This is a tribute not just to me but to the pediatrics department that has grown so much over the years. We need more and more chairs." The consummate fund-raiser and volunteer, Thames always has kept the well-being of Mississippi's children as her motivation. She stated in her acceptance speech that she was among many people who did what was necessary to accomplish the impossible. She shared the credit with family, friends, fellow volunteers and the physicians and leadership of the Medical Center. "Because of them, I was consumed by the thought that the health and welfare of a child, any child, was important to our society. As much as anything, it's been a journey of blind faith," she said. "Throughout my journey, I have had the privilege of standing on the shoulders of many giants." Since the Medical Center opened in 1955, there have been only two chairs of pediatrics at the School of Medicine - Dr. Blair E. Batson (1955-1989) and Dr. Owen B. "Bev" Evans (1989-present). Once fully funded, the endowed chair will help attract the next generation of leadership. At the Medical Center, a chair is fully endowed when gifts reach $2 million. Dr. Dan Jones, vice chancellor for health affairs, said $1.5 million has been raised for the chair through private donations and that endowed chairs are named for those who have made significant contributions to the Medical Center. "The resources are going to be great to move the department forward and to further the treatment of our children," he said. Evans said Thames' leadership and individual efforts have helped to make possible the significant growth of Children's Hospital and its specialized services. "Her generosity is only outmatched by her humility," Evans said, "The Suzan Brown Thames Chair in Pediatrics is not only a tribute to Suzan but also recognizes the importance of the community support that all great children's hospitals must have to succeed." Thames became interested in the Medical Center with her involvement in REACH, a Junior League project that works with young patients stricken with cancer. Serving as REACH co-chair and chair during the first three years, she saw the need for a separate clinic for cancer patients who were susceptible to disease because of the chemotherapy that suppressed their immune system. The realization made Thames and other members of the Junior League work to raise $2 million to build the Mississippi Children's Cancer Clinic, which opened in 1991 and now serves thousands of children throughout the state. She has served on the UMMC cancer fund board since its inception. She and many others saw something even bigger in store for Mississippi's sick and injured: a new hospital designed specifically for children. In 1997, the dream became a reality when the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children opened its doors. Under her leadership, Friends raised and donated a record $1 million to the Children's Hospital in 2007. It's estimated that at least $20 million worth of charitable contributions to the Medical Center can be attributed to Thames. University of Mississippi Chancellor Robert Khayat said Thames' name is equated with family, philanthropy and children. "The word 'volunteer' means Suzan Brown Thames," he said. Patrice Guilfoyle |