Thomas R. Stevenson, MD
CSPS Past President
He was the best of men.
Dr. Stevenson belonged to a generation of physicians formed in an era when medicine was at once a calling and a moral discipline. He practiced with extreme organization, clarity of thought, an intolerance of carelessness, and a deep respect for the dignity of those entrusted to his care.
Renowned for his surgical expertise, leadership within professional organizations, and dedication to education and service, he leaves a legacy of impact that spans both clinical care and academic medicine. It will carry on with his patients and with those fortunate trainees to whom he imparted the craft of plastic surgery. He was foundational to the UC Davis Division of Plastic Surgery and his contributions are directly attributable to the growth and current success of the program. Under his leadership, the division expanded its clinical programs and surgical training, while also advancing UC Davis’s reputation for complex plastic surgery.
We will miss his wisdom, guidance, and unfailing kindness.
Thomas Ray Stevenson was born on January 22, 1946, in Kansas City, Missouri. Being a true Kansan, he entered the University of Kansas in 1964 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry and Mathematics. He then received his medical degree in 1972 also from the University of Kansas. Having graduated with honors, he entered General Surgery residency under Dr. William H. Mueller Jr. at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia. He became fully trained in general surgery in 1978.
Dr. Stevenson served his country with honor in the U.S. Army from 1978 to 1980. His experiences strengthened his commitment to service and shaped his approach to leadership and patient care. His sense of duty reinforced his belief that discipline and service were inseparable from professional life. He attained the rank of Major during the Berry Plan. He was posted to Wuerzburg, West Germany first as General Surgeon and then became Chief of Surgery from 1979 to 1980. His time in the military was a period of intense clinical growth and deep personal meaning, as he provided vital general surgical care to soldiers and their dependents. The ethos of discipline and dedication became the bedrock of his long and noteworthy career in academic medicine. It also forged a fondness for the country as he traveled back often and acquired a conversational level of German.
Upon the successful completion of his military service, he did plastic surgical residency at Emory University from 1980 to 1982, training under the legendary Dr. Maurice (Josh) Jurkiewicz. Emory University, being a premier center for plastic surgery and plastic surgery education, Dr. Stevenson was instructed by the best and trained alongside other future leaders in the field.
In 1982, the most accomplished Dr. William C. Grabb at the University of Michigan was expanding the plastic surgery section. Dr. Jurkiewicz was in strong support of Dr. Stevenson joining the Michigan faculty. Tragically, before Dr. Stevenson could start, Dr. Grabb unexpectedly passed away and Dr. Reed Dingman, another giant of plastic surgery, reassuming the Chief position from retirement. Dr. Stevenson was then able to serve under Dr. Dingman, as he brought knowledge of myocutanous flaps and microsurgery from Emory. Dr. Stevenson became Associate Professor of Surgery (tenured) in 1988.
In 1989, Dr. William Blaisdell, Chair of Surgery at the University of California Davis and among many other things a renown trauma surgeon, wanted to expand plastic surgical reconstructive capabilities. He recruited Dr. Stevenson and Dr. Stevenson then served with distinction as the Chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery, a role he held for 27 years. Under his leadership, the division expanded its clinical programs and surgical training. He became Professor of Surgery (tenured) in 1993 reflecting his excellence in organizational leadership, teaching and research. Dr. Stevenson was dedicated to surgical scholarship, co-authoring numerous peer-reviewed publications with R01 grants studying ischemic changes in muscle and neural units.
A dedicated contributor to the broader professional community, Dr. Stevenson held many leadership positions in multiple plastic surgery organizations. Some of these positions were President of the California Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2000, President of the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation, 2004, and the Chairman, American Board of Plastic Surgery, 2006, to note a few. These recognitions demonstrated the respect his peers had for his clinical judgment and professional integrity.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Stevenson pursued interests that reflected his rigor, complexity, and order. He was a passionate apiarist, tending hives and sharing his fascination with others. He often shared the honey as well, a pure gift of nature. He was meant to soar and became a licensed pilot and plane owner, finding joy and perspective in flight — pursuits that endeared him to many beyond his professional circle. His generous character of service manifested in more than 100 Angel flights when he transported children and adults for distant medical care. He also was an avid fly fisherman, relishing satisfaction in the perfection of execution, much as in surgery. But perhaps most enjoyed was his time riding dressage with his daughter Anne. The exacting training to execute supple purposeful maneuvers held an unspoken corollary to surgical training.
Dr. Stevenson is remembered by colleagues and trainees as a thoughtful surgeon, an inspiring mentor, and a steady presence in academic plastic surgery. His contributions to clinical practice, surgical education, and professional leadership have left a lasting imprint on us in the field. He will live on in the countless patients and surgeons whose lives were enriched by his care, wisdom, and example.
He is survived by his devoted wife Judy of 57 years whom he took to the senior prom in 1964. It was surely meant to be as they later married on August 17, 1968 in Prairie Village, Kansas and are together ever more. He is also survived by daughter Anne, son Andrew, and his four adoring grandchildren.
