2012 Outstanding Alumnus Award Winner
The fate of Dr. Bobby Higgs was sealed after he dissected a snake that had just eaten a frog. “I was just a youngster, but from that moment I knew I wanted to pursue medicine,” he says.
Dr. Higgs didn’t need to rely on his second career choice of engineering after graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in 1956. Dr. Higgs and Dr. Jesse “Kippy” Miller practiced together in a pediatric clinic for 20 years before joining the Jackson Clinic in Jackson, Tenn. After 35 years as a pediatrician, Dr. Higgs retired in 1997.
“My interest in pediatrics only intensified during my family practice residency at the University of Colorado,” he says. “Young people are generally honest, entertaining, and candid, so it has been a joy to be a pediatrician.”
During his tenure he was engaged in numerous professional organizations including the American Board of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Tennessee Medical Association, the Tennessee Pediatric Society, and the University of Tennessee Medical Alumni Council. He served as the alternate chairman of the Tennessee chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics from 1983 to 1985 and as chapter chairman from 1985 to 1988. He also served as president of the West Tennessee Consolidated Medical Assembly.
While he is no longer practicing at the clinic, Dr. Higgs continues to follow his passion of reaching out to others in need. For more than a decade, he has dedicated countless hours as a volunteer at West Tennessee Healthcare Hospice. On Monday mornings he counsels and mentors troubled teens at Youth Town, a Christian residential treatment center, and on Sundays he ministers to those in prison.
“Bob is a humble man dedicated to serving in any way that he can,” says Dr. Ronald Kirkland (UTHSC ʼ77), a friend and fellow physician of Higgs. “I truly admire him.”
Living his life inspired by the Bible, particularly Micah 6:8: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God,” Dr. Higgs hopes to visit the Holy Land one day.
Celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary in December, Dr. Higgs says he enjoys spending early mornings with his wife, Barbara, and a cup of coffee. Their son, Dr. Wilson Clark Higgs (UTHSC ʼ98), who is married to Rachel, is a pediatric dentist in Hendersonville, Tenn., and they have three children.
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