James A. Zimble

James Allen Zimble (October 12, 1933 – December 14, 2011) was a commissioned officer in the Medical Corps of the United States Navy. His Navy career spanned 35 years of service, beginning in 1956 at the rank of ensign and ending in 1991 at the rank of vice admiral. He served as the 30th Surgeon General of the United States Navy from 1987 to 1991. After retiring from the Navy in 1991, Zimble was appointed President of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. He remained in that position until 2004.

Early life Zimble, an only child, was born on 12 October 1933 in Philadelphia. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where they lived until 1946. His parents, both hearing impaired, were employed as teachers of deaf children. In 1946, the Zimble family relocated back to Philadelphia.

Education and training Zimble enrolled in Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1951, from where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1955 and was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. Later that year, he matriculated in the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The following year, he accepted a commission in the United States Navy Reserve at the rank of ensign. Zimble received his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1959. He completed his internship at the U.S. Naval Hospital at St. Albans, New York, from 1959 to 1960, then trained in undersea medicine at the Naval School, Diving and Salvage (NSDS, often referred to as the U.S. Navy Deep Sea Diving School) and also at the U.S. Navy Nuclear Power School until 1961. Zimble returned to St. Albans in 1963 for residency training in obstetrics and gynecology.

Personal life James A. Zimble married the former Mona C. Melton. He had three children and five step-children. at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London, Connecticut.

Honors and awards Honors and awards that Zimble has received include:

Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the State University of New York at SyracuseFrank Brown Berry Prize in Federal Health CareFounder's Medal (Association of Military Surgeons of the United States)Distinguished Service Award (Naval Reserve Association)