Dr. Gordon Bruce Thompson, MD, FRCSC
Feb 6, 1925 – Sept. 24, 2022
Professor and Head Emeritus, Division of Neurosurgery
Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia
By Dr. Felix Durity
It is with deep remorse that the Department of Surgery announces the death of Dr. Gordon Thompson, who, after a short illness, passed away peacefully at the Royal Jubilee Hospital on September 24, 2022 at the age of 97 years. He was surrounded in his last hours by his loving family: his wife Sally of 62 years of marriage and by his daughters: Tracey and Meg and three grandsons: Oliver and Ethan Spratt and Calvin Cotton.
Gordon was born in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. After his undergraduate degree at the University of Manitoba and his medical degree at McGill, he undertook neurosurgical training at the world-leading Montreal Neurological Institute under the influence of Dr. Wilder Penfield and Dr. William Vernon Cone, with whom he forged a special bond as his tutor and mentor. In 1960 he joined the neurosurgical staff at UBC and the Vancouver General Hospital under the leadership of Dr. Frank Turnbull whom he succeeded as Head in 1966. Until his retirement Gordon served as Head for an amazing 24 years (1966 – 1990). During his tenure he established the first neurosurgical training program at UBC in 1966, whence he trained a myriad of successful duly-certified neurosurgical trainees and recruited several colleagues to join and enlarge the Division’s expertise in functional, spinal, tumour and neurovascular subspecialties. That legacy continues within the Division to this day.
Gordon himself excelled in complex spinal degenerative diseases and in the field of Epilepsy Surgery and with the help of epileptologist Dr. Juhn Wada, he humbly achieved results comparable to the best world centres in the area of temporal lobe epilepsy.
Outside of the operating theatre, he served his specialty in the important roles of Chief of the Royal College Neurosurgical Exam Committee for ten years, as Head of the Canadian Neurosurgical Society for two years and as President of the Western Neurosurgical and North Pacific Neurosurgical societies.
He was a generous and caring leader who treated his colleagues, his trainee residents and nursing and neuro-rehabilitation staff with respect and support, sometimes even financial. He also loved entertaining them at his home in joyful parties.
Nonetheless his greatest joy was his loving family: his wife Sally and their three daughters – Tracey (Thompson-Franson), Wendy (predeceased) and Meg Thompson), their husbands and his three grandsons. On retirement, Gordon moved from Vancouver to Parksville for 18 years for the “quiet”, community-involved life but moved to Victoria 4 years ago to be close to his immediate family. Our dear colleague, friend and mentor lived a long, full and productive life. A man of faith, may he rest peacefully. His legacy to us will be enduring and he will be missed by those who knew him.