John Verran Thomas (1921-2009)

Founding Physician of the UMD Medical School
Full Obituary

Dr. John Thomas, who practiced general surgery in Duluth from 1954 until his retirement in 1988, passed away on October 25, 2009 at St. Luke’s Hospital. Dr. Thomas was among the Duluth leaders who supported the startup of the University of Minnesota School of Medicine at UMD by serving on a committee that dealt with the clinical aspects of organization and curriculum. When the school admitted its first class in 1972, he taught anatomy and continued teaching until 2006. He is remembered on the Medical School-Duluth Wall of Honor among the Founding Physicians. In 2008, Dr. Thomas was awarded the prestigious Diehl Award by the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Alumni Society. Memorials are preferred to Dr. John’s church (see obituary) or the Duluth Legends and Leaders Scholarship at the U of MN Duluth Medical School. Call 218.726.7376 for details or to make a gift online: www.mmf.umn.edu/giveto/dmll
 

Dr. Thomas was among 44 Duluth physicians featured in the book, Medical Mentors: Practicing the Art of Medicine in Duluth 1927 – 1996. In the chapter devoted to his career, he recalls that when he started his practice, he served as a physician for the county jail and work farm. Dr. Thomas was St. Luke’s Hospital’s chief of general surgery in 1967, chief of staff in 1975 and president of the Duluth Surgical Board of Recommendations for several years, a unique body of Duluth surgeons who recommended privileges for physicians in all areas of surgery.