DR. JOHN DANIEL MILAM M.D.
1933-2022
John D. Milam (88) passed away peacefully on March 24, 2022. He is survived by his four children Kay Milam of Louisville, KY; Beth Milam Carter (Jeff ) of Coppell, TX, John Milam Jr. of Sugarland, TX, Julie Milam Terrier (Marc) of Mill Valley, CA and was known as “Papa John” to his four grandchildren Caroline and Catherine Carter and Vincent and Violet Terrier. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 61 years, Carol, his parents Ott and Effie Milam and his sister Jan Milam Handy. The Milam family will forever appreciate the love and kindness Hilda Rivas showed John and Carol over the years.
Dr. Milam was a medical pioneer who had a distinguished career in pathology and blood transfusion. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and his medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans. After completing a fellowship in pathology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in New York, he moved to Houston where he would spend the next 48 years working in the Texas Medical Center.
John was an active bedside consultant and was known for his patient care. He served patients at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and Memorial Herman Hospital and was a Chief of Staff at St. Luke’s and Chief of Pathology at Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital. He taught at The University of Texas Health Science Center and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston working with the residency training programs in pathology. He also interacted with several technology schools focusing on medical technology and blood banking. He was a founding trustee for the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. Dr. Milam assisted Dr. Denton Cooley with the first open heart transplants in the United States. In 2018 he and Carol established The John D. and Carol J. Milam Chair in the Department of Pathology at the UT Health Science Center in Houston which ensured educators and students have the necessary tools to break new ground in the field of pathology.
John served as President for the following medical organizations throughout his storied career: American Association of Blood Banks, American Blood Commission, American Board of Pathology, Houston Society of Clinical Pathologists, South Central Association of Blood Banks, and the Texas Society of Pathologists and also served on the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Council on Immunohematology. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the American Board of Medical Specialties for four years and was on the Board of Governors in the College of American Pathologists.
John was recognized with many awards. He received both the Commission on Continuing Education Distinguished Service Award and the Israel Davidsohn Award from the ASCP, the Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Blood Banks, the George T. Caldwell Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Society of Pathologists and the Harlan J. Spjut Award from the Houston Society of Clinical Pathologists. He received the Distinguished Physician Award from Hermann Hospital and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston named him Professor Emeritus of Pathology.
John was a gentleman until the day he died. He will be remembered for his kind disposition, his caring bedside manner and his devotion to his wife Carol. His sweet smile and hand waves would always put friends and strangers at ease. He was a deacon at Tallowood Baptist Church and enjoyed traveling, fishing, hunting, golf and physical fitness. He loved animals, enjoyed watching the birds at the feeder and fed the stray cats Fancy Feast and warm milk. His family and friends miss him dearly, but take comfort in the love he showed all of us and the memories we will carry with us going forward.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to UTHealth Houston at https://giving.uth.edu/memorial Designation: “John D. Milam, MD Memorial Fund”. To send a donation by mail, the address is UTHealth – Office of Development/ PO Box 20268/ Houston, TX 77025-9998.
Also, the family encourages you to take the time to donate blood. By doing so, you could save someone’s life and honor John’s memory.
To celebrate John’s life, visitation will be held at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, May 6. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday May 7 at Tallowood Baptist Church. The burial will immediately follow at Memorial Oaks Cemetery.