Justin Ford Kimball
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the Texas businessman. For the high school named in his honor, see Justin F. Kimball High SchoolJustin F. Kimball High SchoolJustin F. Kimball High School is a public secondary school in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas . Justin F. Kimball High School enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District...
.
Justin Ford Kimball (August 25, 1872 - October 7, 1956) was an American businessman, educator, and inventor of the Blue Cross Group Hospital Insurance (now Blue Cross Blue Shield.)
Early life
Kimball was born to Justin A. Kimball and Elizabeth Kimball (née Ford) on a farm near Huntsville, TexasHuntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
. He attended Mount Lebanon College in Louisiana in 1890. After graduation, he enrolled in Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
, where he graduated with an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1889. He married Annie Lou Boggess in 1905 and had two sons and two daughters.
Work in education
Kimball moved to ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to start postgraduate work at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and also attended law school at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He then moved to Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and started work as a teacher in the rural schools. He then moved to Mexia, Texas
Mexia, Texas
Mexia is a city in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,552 at the 2008 census.The city's motto, based on the fact that outsiders tend to mispronounce the name , is "A great place, no matter how you pronounce it."...
, then Navasota, Texas
Navasota, Texas
Navasota is a city in Grimes County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,789 at the 2000 census. In 2005, the Texas Legislature named the city "The Blues Capital of Texas," in honor of the late Mance Lipscomb, a Navasota native and blues musician....
, where he found jobs as a teacher until 1895, when he became principal in the small school system of Temple, Texas
Temple, Texas
Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. Located near the county seat of Belton, Temple lies in the region referred to as Central Texas. Located off Interstate 35, Temple is 65 miles north of Austin and 34 miles south of Waco. In the 2010 Census, Temple's population was 66,102, an...
. In 1900, he was promoted to superintendent of the same school system.
Over the years, he established himself as a prominent education leader. His success in the schools prompted the Dallas Independent School District
Dallas Independent School District
The Dallas Independent School District is a school district based in Dallas, Texas . Dallas ISD, which operates schools in much of Dallas County, is the second largest school district in Texas and the twelfth largest in the United States.In 2009, the school district was rated "academically...
to hire him as general superintendent of Dallas ISD, and held that position from 1914 to 1924. His leadership role with Dallas ISD won him the position of president of the Texas State Teachers Association. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Baylor University. Kimball's overloaded schedule affected his health drastically, and he resigned from his position as superintendent after advice from his doctor.
Despite of his resignation from the school system in Dallas, he was immediately asked to perform lecture series at Baylor University, Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
, the Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville
Peabody College
Peabody College of Education and Human Development was founded in 1875 when the University of Nashville, located in Nashville, Tennessee, split into two separate educational institutions...
, and the University of Texas. He accepted an education professorship at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
in 1925.
Kimball was later appointed vice-president of the cluster of Baylor health extensions in Dallas, including Baylor University Medical Center
Baylor University Medical Center
Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas is a faith-based, not-for-profit hospital. In 1903, the hospital opened with 25 beds; today it is a patient care, teaching and research center for the Southwest. Baylor Dallas has 1025 licensed beds and serves as the flagship hospital of Baylor Health...
, Baylor College of Dentistry
Baylor College of Dentistry
Baylor College of Dentistry , located in east Dallas, Texas , is the dental education unit of the Texas A&M University System, and a component of the Texas A&M Health Science Center. Almost two-thirds of all the dentists in the Metroplex received their education at BCD, and more than one-third of...
, Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine, located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, USA, is a highly regarded medical school and leading center for biomedical research and clinical care...
, and the Baylor School of Nursing.
Work in the medical industry
During his first year in office as vice-president of the Baylor health system, after noticing the large amounts of unpaid bills, most originated by Dallas educators, he developed a plan whereas a person could prepay at USD$0.50 a month, or $6.00 per year for a 21-day stay at a hospital, which would take effect after a one-week stay. Anything before that would cost $5.00 per day. This plan was adapted from the prepayment plans offered to workers in the railroad and lumber industries. This plan eventually became the predecessor of what is now the Blue Cross and Blue Shield AssociationBlue Cross and Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a federation of 39 separate health insurance organizations and companies in the United States. Combined, they directly or indirectly provide health insurance to over 100 million Americans. The history of Blue Cross dates back to 1929, while the history of...
.
His plan was popular amongst Dallas educators, with 75 percent of Dallas teachers being enrolled in the payment plan. Employees of the Dallas Morning News and WFAA-TV
WFAA-TV
WFAA, channel 8, is an ABC-affiliated television station serving the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, one of the top ten media markets in North America. The station is the flagship of Belo Corporation and the largest ABC affiliate not owned and operated by the network...
and WFAA Radio also joined the program. The success rate of his plan prompted the American Hospital Association
American Hospital Association
The American Hospital Association is an organization that promotes the quality provision of health care by hospitals and health care networks through such efforts as promoting effective public policy and providing information related to health care and health administration to health care...
to ask Kimball to prepare a paper detailing the mechanics behind the program. Unable to attend himself, his paper was read and was well received by A.H.A. members, causing them to name him an honorary life member.
Later years and death
In 1939, Kimball retired from his role as vice-president of the Baylor health system. He accepted a job as an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
, lecturing about education administration. He later wrote Our Dallas (1927), a history book about the City of Dallas, which became popular among teachers, and was used for many years by primary schools in the city.
A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Kimball also served as chairman of the civil service commission of the City of Dallas. From 1949 to 1952, he served on the Texas State Board of Education (now the Texas Education Agency
Texas Education Agency
The Texas Education Agency is a branch of the state government of Texas in the United States responsible for public education. The agency is headquartered in the William B...
).
Kimball worked on revising his book (Our Dallas) on his last years, as well as supervising and tending to his farms.
Kimball died at his Dallas home on October 7, 1956. Two years after his death, Dallas ISD named their newest high school, Justin F. Kimball High School
Justin F. Kimball High School
Justin F. Kimball High School is a public secondary school in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas . Justin F. Kimball High School enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District...
, in his honor.