In Loving Memory

After Louise Gambrell passed away in 2021 at age 93 following a battle with cancer, her husband of 61 years, Tom Gambrell, made a planned gift in her memory: an estate commitment to support research at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.

Tom, now 89, hopes his bequest will continue the cause to which he and Louise devoted their careers as health professionals — bettering humanity through science and medicine.

Tom first laid eyes on Louise from across the staff dining room at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y. The two had both moved to the city from across the country to gain experience in their fields, Tom in general medicine and Louise in clinical psychology.

"There was a table over by a window," Tom recalled. "There was one girl there. She was so pretty. I could hear her drawl, and I recognized it as a Texas accent."

Tom, himself a native Texan, mustered the courage to introduce himself the following week. "She had an opening at her table. I went over there to talk to her, just to hear someone from home. We liked one another from the beginning."

The pair were married in 1960 in Fullerton, Calif., where they would eventually purchase a home and make their lives. Louise was Jewish; Tom is not religious. Though finding a rabbi to bless the union was challenging, any differences presented no obstacle to their marriage.

They shared a passion for healthcare and devoted their lives to their careers. Tom operated a general medicine practice serving patients across the lifespan. Louise distinguished herself as a pioneer in the field of clinical psychology, helping children and adolescents to overcome issues ranging from depression to learning disabilities. Despite instructors who questioned whether she belonged in psychology, as both a Jewish person and a woman, she became an international leader in her field.

Along with her clinical work, Louise harbored a love for Israel. Tom chose to direct his philanthropy to the Technion because, in his words, the University provides "the perfect confluence" of Louise's interests, as a bastion of scientific innovation whose discoveries in human health are making life better not only for Israelis, but individuals across the globe. He said he hopes his bequest will honor his late wife's memory by supporting Technion researchers who, like Louise, are pioneers in their fields.

"I can only imagine how Technion research, especially in molecular genetics, will translate to better, more effective therapies at the bedside. My hope is that this gift will continue Louise's and my work to make life better for others."