Christian Messa

UTMB alumnus establishes pediatric nursing professorship

Professorship dedicated in memory of Dr. Edward Singleton’s mother

GALVESTON, Texas — Signs of Dr. Albert O. Singleton’s legacy as a clinician and educator abound at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. A plaque standing in front of the Keiller Building is dedicated in memory of the longtime professor and chairman of UTMB’s Surgery Department. Colleagues and trainees founded the Singleton Surgical Society in 1953, six years after his passing, and Singleton Surgical Awards are annually presented to outstanding residents, faculty and first-year interns in the field.

While Dr. Edward B. Singleton appreciates the tributes given to his father, he noticed that recognition had never been publicly bestowed on another important figure in his life: his mother. The UTMB alumnus therefore established the Will Dean Bivens Singleton Professorship in Pediatric Nursing in her memory. “I thought it would be nice to honor her in some way,” said Singleton, who graduated from the university’s School of Medicine in 1946.

Singleton’s mother attended UTMB herself, graduating in 1912 from the university’s School of Nursing, formerly the John Sealy Hospital Training School for Nurses. (At the time, UTMB was called the University of Texas Medical Department.) While a nursing student, she met Albert Singleton, who had earned his M.D. from UTMB in 1910. He joined the faculty as a surgery instructor the following year, ascending to the role of professor and chair of surgery in 1927.

“She and my father did their courting on the steps of Old Red, even though it was against the rules at that time for faculty and nurses to go with each other,” Singleton said, referring to the 1891 Ashbel Smith Building, which was the first classroom facility on UTMB’s campus. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is still in use today.

Miss Bivens and Dr. Singleton were married shortly after her graduation. While she never practiced nursing professionally, Edward Singleton said his mother’s skills were still valued. “She provided nice nursing care to her two sons and husband,” said Singleton, who was born on Galveston Island and practices medicine in Houston.

Dr. Pamela G. Watson, UTMB School of Nursing dean, said she was pleased to learn that Singleton had not only established a nursing professorship but that he had done so in memory of a nursing school alumna. “I’m truly grateful to Dr. Singleton for generously endowing a professorship in his mother’s name at the School of Nursing,” said Watson, the Rebecca Sealy Distinguished Centennial Chair. “I’m equally gratified to know that this endowment links the school’s present to the early years of its rich past.”

UTMB’s School of Nursing, established in 1890, was the first nursing school in Texas and among the first to be affiliated with a university when it became part of the Medical Department in 1896. Since its founding, the School of Nursing has graduated more than 7,000 students.

Edward Singleton continues to practice medicine and has no plans of stopping any time soon. He said he tried retirement once. “It lasted two months — I couldn’t stand it,” he quipped.

Singleton is chief emeritus of radiology at Texas Children’s Hospital and professor emeritus of radiology at Baylor College of Medicine. He is also a clinical professor of diagnostic radiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, an adjunct professor of diagnostic radiology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and a radiology consultant for Lackland Air Force Base and Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. He was chief of radiology at Texas Children’s Hospital and St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital for more than four decades.

Four generations of Singletons are tied to UTMB’s School of Medicine. In addition to his father, Singleton’s deceased brother, Dr. Albert O. Singleton Jr., graduated from the medical school in 1939 and later joined UTMB’s surgical faculty. Singleton’s nephew, Dr. Albert O. Singleton III, received his medical degree from UTMB in 1973, and now his grandniece, Terrell Singleton, is attending the university’s School of Medicine.

Singleton’s family roots in Texas run even deeper. Both of his parents were born in the state; his father hailed from Waxahachie and his mother was raised in Corsicana. Singleton’s paternal great grandfather, John Hawkins Singleton, fought in the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836.

Singleton has earned numerous awards and honors, including Gold Medals from the Society of Pediatric Radiology, American College of Radiology, American Roentgen Ray Society, The Radiological Society of North America, Texas Radiological Society and Society of Gastrointestinal Radiology. He has also garnered the Distinguished Faculty Award from Baylor College of Medicine’s Medical Alumni Association and Distinguished Physician of the Institute Award from the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital. An endowed chair bears his name at the hospital. Singleton has also received the Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus Award, the UTMB School of Medicine’s highest alumni honor. He resides in Houston with his wife, Margaret.

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