DR. JUDITH KAY DUNN

1941-2022

Dr. Judith Kay Dunn, known to all as Kay, died peacefully at her home at Belmont Village in Houston on March 22, 2022. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, on December 9, 1941, Kay was raised in Mobile, Alabama, where she attended Murphy High School and graduated as valedictorian of her class. Thereafter, she enrolled at the University of Alabama and earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. At Alabama she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Kay went on to earn a master’s degree in mathematics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a PhD in statistics from the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston. Dr. Dunn taught at universities in Radford, Virginia; Philadelphia; Chicago; and Galveston, before returning to Houston to teach and conduct research in epidemiology at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas School of Public Health. Dr. Dunn’s career accomplishments include many teaching awards, and contributions to significant research on prevention and treatment of high blood pressure and heart disease.

A lover of music, Kay was both performer and patron. She played the violin and viola, performing in string quartets for much of her life. She also studied voice, sang in her church choir, and served as choir librarian. She loved opera and frequently attended New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and the Houston Grand Opera.

Kay was an active member of First Unitarian Universalist Church in Houston and served as president of the church’s board of trustees and chairman of the finance committee.

Kay is survived by her sister Patricia Jarrett, a longtime resident of Meridian, Mississippi, now of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; her brother, Robert Dunn (Judith) of Dallas, Texas; a nephew, Dr. Robert W. Jarrett, Jr. (Emily) of Roanoke, Virginia.; and a niece, Kelly Jarrett (Mike DeFranco), of Chapel Hill. Kay will also be missed by many friends, colleagues, and former students.

In lieu of flowers, please consider gifts to Alzheimer’s disease research or the Houston Grand Opera.