Colleagues and patients have reacted to the untimely death of Timothy M. George, MD, interim Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Dell Children's Medical Center, part of Ascension Texas; President of Dell Children's Medical Group; and an adjunct professor at the University of Texas Department of Molecular Biosciences.
Dr. George, 59, died last month from a medical event he suffered while competing in the Michelin IMSA SportsCar Encore at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida. He was midway through the four-hour endurance race when he radioed his crew that he was in physical distress and headed for the raceway's pit lane.
Dr. George was an accomplished professional racecar driver. His success and passion for the sport earned him an FIA International Competition License (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) to compete with the International Motor Sports Association in his first prototype racecar, the Elan DP02. He competed successfully as a pro driver at Road Atlanta, Watkins Glen in New York, Homestead Raceway in Florida, and Sebring International Raceway, as well as many other raceways across the country.
"He was a prominent member of the Dell Children's family from the very beginning and provided critical leadership to the development of pediatric neurosciences in Central Texas," Dell Children's President Chris Born said. "Dr. George was an exceptional surgeon who touched countless lives in Austin and the Dell Children's community. Dr. George will be missed. Our thoughts are with his wife, his family, and everyone who had the privilege to work with him."
"I will … always remember the warm embrace I received from him right before my 2-year-old son was taken back for surgery," Sarah Sandlin of San Antonio, Texas, told the Austin American-Statesman. "He could see the worry in my face and he told me, 'We will take great care of him.' Although I was terrified I knew he was telling me the truth."
"He would always just care so much," 8-year-old Colton Taylor told KTXS-TV. Colton and his family met Dr. George four years ago. They were new to Austin and Colton, who was born with hydrocephalus, needed a sixth brain surgery. "You could just tell how passionate he was about the people he was helping," Colton's mother, Jen, said.
Craig Kemper, MD, a fellow neurosurgeon with Austin Brain and Spine who also teaches at Dell Medical School, described his colleague as a "remarkable person" who served as a font of knowledge. "His quality was just impeccable. He really cared for patients, really did a good job, he was always very conscientious," Dr. Kemper told the Austin American-Statesman.
Dr. George was featured in the 2010 book "Real Role Models: Successful African Americans Beyond Pop Culture."
Click here for more about Dr. George's life and career.
