Jim Temme has been appointed the Charles R. O’Malley Chair for Radiation Science Technology Education (RSTE) in the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s School of Allied Health Professions (SAHP).
The endowed faculty chair – the first in the SAHP – was made possible through the generosity of the Charles R. O’Malley Charitable Lead Trust through the New York Community Trust. Trustees worked with the University of Nebraska Foundation to establish the chair.
“We are tremendously grateful to everyone who made the endowed chair a reality for the school,” said Kyle Meyer, Ph.D., associate dean of the SAHP. “This first chair marks a transformational milestone for the school. It is a fitting start for the SAHP as five of the 11 health professions programs in the SAHP are in the radiation sciences. Jim has been instrumental in forging the development of the RSTE division and this honor recognizes his outstanding leadership and ongoing commitment to excellence.”
Temme, associate director of RSTE, joined the UNMC faculty in 1974 – one day after graduating from its radiography program. He has been a registered radiologic technologist since 1973 and is the 2010-2011 president of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, a 138,000-member national association.
“The endowed chair is one of the highest internal honors a faculty member can receive,” said Temme, a native of Petersburg, Neb. This generous gift will have a considerable impact on promoting the development of the RSTE division.”
Temme said the endowed chair enables RSTE faculty to explore innovative ways to improve education and bolster research in the radiation sciences. RSTE graduates assist radiologists and other health care professionals in the area of diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy.
The chair was made possible in large measure through the work of trustee Richard Kelly, one of Temme’s first clinical instructors and, Temme said, “one of the best clinical instructors you’ll ever find.” Kelly provided clinical instruction for radiation science students, as well as medical students and residents.
Kelly, the nephew of Charles O’Malley, worked 35 years in the UNMC hospital, where he served as manager and clinical instructor in the nuclear medicine section of the radiology department.
O’Malley was a businessman, educator and philanthropist who often spoke of his work with such oil tanker owners as Aristotle Onassis. At age 17, the Perry, Iowa, native hopped a freight train for Boston and became a nurse. He eventually settled in New York City. Over the years, he worked for Pan American Airways, Mobil Oil and the T.J. Stevenson Co. (shipping). He also represented the Plough group of more than 50 radio and TV stations in their dealings with ad agencies and served as director of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. He died March 19, 2008 at age 93.
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