June 28, 1952 – September 17, 2024
Obituary
Tom Anderson Middlebrook, M.D.: 06/28/1952 – 09/17/2024
The formation of the world, the mysteries of humanity, and the beauty of God’s love were instantly revealed the moment Dr. Tom Anderson Middlebrook made his greatest discovery and viewed his Savior’s face on September 17, 2024. The story of Tom’s life began on June 28, 1952, when he was born a unique blend of his intelligent, gregarious father, George Frederick Middlebrook Jr. and his compassionate, introspective mother, Emily Mast Middlebrook.
Tom and his older brothers, Henry and George III, were quintessential East Texas boys of the fifties and the close-knit neighborhoods of Garner Street and later of Norma Street in the Raguet neighborhood molded their lives with a sense of tradition and discovery. Tom’s childhood was influenced by his extended family of educators and spiritual leaders. Dr. J. Herndon Burr, SFA Professor, introduced Tom to the vast world of biology, geology, and archeology, and Chick Dolezel, Soil Conservation Scientist, walked the forests and creeks of Nacogdoches County with Tom searching for and identifying bottles of the past and other artifacts. His archeology mentors were Dr. Jim Corbin and Robert L. Turner, Jr. His great aunt, Sallie Talitha Summers, invested in his spiritual formation and growth. He attended services at First Baptist Church weekly with her.
After his graduation from Nacogdoches High School, Tom’s education first focused on the history and science of the earth, majoring in geology and graduating Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science from Stephen F. Austin State University. This interest in God’s creation never waned and was the foundation for much of his life and explorations. Next Tom focused on spiritual application which gave him eternal benefits, and he received a diploma of Christian Studies from Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. Tom returned to Nacogdoches and enrolled in SFA’s Master’s Degree program in Psychology. He had begun volunteering at Summit Oaks Achievement Center, a rural residential treatment facility North of Mt. Enterprise, which provided services for juveniles with a history of emotional and behavioral problems. It was here that Tom first developed his interest in becoming a psychiatrist.
Tom completed his Master of Science degree in Psychology from SFA, and then turned his attention to the necessary prerequisites to apply for medical school. Tom finished his pre-medicine coursework at SFA and received a Pell Grant in organic chemistry research. Tom’s empathy and sincere connection to children led him to pursue his profession in child and adolescent psychiatry. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, was awarded the Sandoz Award and the outstanding student award in the department of psychiatry and was a member of the Christian Medical Society. After an internship at Parkland Hospital, Tom completed his psychiatry residency and child and adolescent fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Tom sought God throughout his life. He and Sylvia attended Grace Bible Church beginning in 1989 where he taught adult Sunday School and led AWANA classes. He was blessed to participate in mission trips with Young Life to spread the Gospel to the youth of Bulgaria.
Dr. Middlebrook was well-known throughout the state as an extraordinary Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist who was respected by his patients, their families, and the medical community. He worked for Pinelands Hospital and Crockett State School and was a consulting psychiatrist at Lufkin State Supported Living Center, as well as several other residential treatment centers, including the Nacogdoches Boys’ Ranch. During this time, he maintained a private practice for a number of years sharing an office with his wife, Sylvia Sibley Middlebrook, Ph.D. Their work drew people to Nacogdoches for treatment. Tom was a member of the Texas Medical Association, Nacogdoches-San Augustine Medical Society, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry along with the Texas Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He was board-certified in Psychiatry as well as in Child/Adolescent Psychiatry. Tom was devoted to fostering the mental and emotional health of young people, and his life was committed to listening to his patients, understanding their needs, and seeing their potential. Dr. Middlebrook’s unique experience and medical skills changed many lives, and his kindness gave countless children and adolescents hope and a future.
Tom had an exceptional mind which never tired of learning. Tom was an avid historian and genuinely interested in past cultures and their roles and places in time and history. Tom became widely known for his contributions to the Texas archeological community which included an impressive collection of East Texas artifacts, lectures and presentations at archeological conferences across the state and country, extensive research in Caddo and Spanish Colonial archeology, and authoring publications, journals, and books on a variety of archeologically related topics. Dr. Middlebrook was a life-time member of the Arkansas, Louisiana, Dallas, and Texas Archeological Societies, Society of Historical Archeology, Steward of the Texas Historical Commission, and a member of the Board of Directors of Texas Historical Foundation. He was president of the East Texas Archeological Society, and cofounder of the East Texas Archeological Conference, the East Texas Caddo Research Group, and the Caddo Iconography Workshop.
Tom was most content while in the woods tracking down the site of an old mill, a beaver’s dam, a cave, an 18th or 19th century homesite, or an unexplored point of interest, such as a potential Caddo site. After long years of cooperative research, he and colleagues, in what he called his “vision quest,” discovered Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de los Hasinai (a Caddo tribe known as ‘Tejas’), the 18th century Spanish mission from which Texas received its name. This work garnered him the Donald Crabtree award, the highest honor an American avocational archeologist can achieve. He fiercely respected each culture and worked to protect not only the physical sites of the past but also the stories of the people who walked before him. Dr. Middlebrook’s avocational contributions to Texas archeology will assist in preserving the stories he so deeply respected.
In Tom’s front pocket rested his phone which he readily answered for all who called upon him. His back pockets housed his Bible and a comb. The scriptures led his words while he counseled those who reached out to him and guided his steps along Lanana Trail and up the steps and ramps at Homer Bryce Stadium as he trained for Philmont Camp in New Mexico with his 50-pound backpack and hiking sticks. Tom was honored to be a member and a Paul Harris Fellow of the Nacogdoches Rotary Club, and took great care to visit those confined to home or nursing facilities, gifting them with his personally grown roses. He was generous in his community service, was a member of the Nacogdoches Booster club, reveled in treating people to his meticulously prepared gourmet cuisine, and volunteered his time as chairman of the Nacogdoches County Historical Commission. He helped young men earn Eagle Scout patches in Archeology and participated in two ten-day, 66 mile hikes at Philmont with the local Boy Scout group. Tom was a true friend to people in every walk of life. Regardless of the circle from which someone knew Tom, all called him friend. He was kind, patient, enthusiastic, and humble.
If the true measure of a man’s life can be counted by the souls he touched, Tom’s legacy spans the stars. While his family rejoices in his heavenly residency, the void he leaves behind is profound. Tom and his wife Sylvia, married on September 23, 1989, shared many passions including their work as mental health professionals, love of travel, miniature long-haired dachshunds, museums, National Parks, art, and the keen pursuit of life-long learning. Sylvia will be comforted by five children and their families: son, Ryan and wife, Anna; son, Thomas and wife, Katie; son, Grayson and wife, Summer; daughter, Emily and husband, Zach Robinson; and daughter, Hollis (‘Holli’) and husband, Brian Smith. They valued education and supported their children’s achievements at all levels of education.
Tom carefully planned personal National Park tours with each of the grandchildren, and he and Sylvia took great joy in traveling the country seeing nature through the eyes of their grandchildren: Keiran, Eden, Sophie, Kilsyth, Jonah, Arulai, and Lucy. The youngest grandchildren, Peter, Olivet, Ian, Jack, and Charlotte will have Grandaddy stories recounted to them as the family ensures that the adventurous traditions Tom instilled continue in future years. Tom was also devoted to his extended family which included his brother George and wife Carla Middlebrook; sister-in-law Nancy Middlebrook, and brother-in-law and wife, Stephen and Debbie Sibley; along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Tom and his cousins enjoyed close relationships and family time growing up. He loved his paternal aunts and uncles, who pre-deceased him, as have his cousins Jay Tucker, Jeff Gaston, and Dr. Brooke Tucker. He enjoyed keeping in touch with his remaining cousins: Stephanie Unger, Fred Bright, Richard Bright, and Merry Anne Bright, Tom Gaston and Kant Gaston.
Because of his love of family and heritage, it is with joy that we think of Tom once again visiting with those who preceded him in death: his parents, George and Emily Middlebrook, brother, Henry, and in-laws, John and Florence Sibley. He was also close to his maternal aunt and uncle, Hollis Mast Barron and Dr. Stewart Barron. We treasure the thought of him soaking in the stories of times past and asking genealogical questions of his grandparents Dr. George F. and Annie Carter Middlebrook and Henry Reuben and Emma Summers Mast.
The family would like to thank the staff at Harbor Hospice for their loving compassion and care for Tom during the last weeks of his remarkable life. Special thanks to Brittany, RN, Sasha, CNA, Dr. Pavan Pinnamaneni, Lori, SW, and Daryl, Chaplain. We also express deep gratitude to Dr. Timothy Young, Dr. Mark Cline, and Erin Sommerlatte, PA-C, who completed an initial medical assessment in early December 2023, and facilitated rapid referral for surgery and treatment at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. They provided dedicated care throughout Tom’s illness with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. We were blessed that Tom’s nurses and doctors at M.D. Anderson met the ‘gold standard’ in their levels of expertise, knowledge, communication, compassion, and treatment. They include Tom’s Neurosurgeon, Chibawanye Ene, MD, PhD.; Neuro-oncologist, Shiao-Pei Weathers, MD; and Radiation Oncologist, Brian De, MD.
Visitation for Dr. Middlebrook, will be Friday, September 20, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, at Cason Monk-Metcalf Funeral Directors with services at Grace Bible Church on Saturday, September 21, at 2:00 pm, followed by a graveside service at the historic Oak Grove Cemetery where Tom will be laid to rest, alongside his parents, aunt and uncle, and maternal grandparents. At Oak Grove, his memory will be preserved in the community along with the legends of Texas history. Pallbearers will be Tom’s nephews and grandsons. In 2016 after a five-mile hike with the Boy Scouts as the final requirement for their Arrow of Light Award, Tom spoke to a crowd in the famous cemetery. He said the tombstones do not commemorate a person’s death but rather one’s life. He encouraged his listeners to remember the Sabbath and the gift of the time we have been given to serve God here on earth. This was Tom Middlebrook’s testimony. “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus.” Romans 15:5.
*Charities and organizations Tom supported which would benefit from a donation in Tom’s memory include the following or one of the donor’s choice: Grace Bible Church, Bethlehem Mission, East Texas Archeological Society, Friends of Historic Nacogdoches, SFA Anthropology and Archeology Department, Texas Archeological Society, Texas Historical Foundation, Nacogdoches Federation of Women’s Clubs, Glioblastoma Foundation, Young Life, CRU (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ), Nacogdoches Animal Shelter, or MD Anderson Hospital.
Tom loved his beautiful historic home of Nacogdoches and East Texas and would be most delighted to know that each of you were enjoying life to its fullest while sitting outside in nature sipping on a chocolate malt and eating an apple fritter.
Services are under the direction of Cason Monk-Metcalf Funeral Directors.