Norman Kenyon, M.D. ’56, lived a life defined by quiet excellence and unwavering purpose. His passion for medicine was extraordinary. He loved the profession, and he loved the “U.” A gifted surgeon, trusted mentor and respected leader, he left a lasting impact on the Miller School of Medicine and beyond. 

Dr. Kenyon made history almost from the start of his medical career. He was part of the medical school’s inaugural class in 1952 and served as the school’s first class president. The day after graduation, he married Sue Underwood, his partner in life for nearly 64 years. He completed his surgical residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where Sue worked as a nurse and their three daughters were born. 

Following two years as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, he returned to Miami and built a distinguished surgical career. He held leadership roles, including chief of staff and chief of surgery, in several different hospitals — always bringing the same calm precision that defined his work in the operating room. 

To colleagues, he was a maestro, his surgical technique elegant, efficient and flawless. To students, he was a humble mentor who led by example. And to patients, he was a steady, compassionate voice who offered comfort and confidence in few words. 

His many honors included the Raymond H. Alexander Award from the Florida chapter of the American College of Surgeons, the James H. Corwin Distinguished Service Award from the Florida Surgical Society and the University of Miami Teaching Award. But his greatest pride was his family. 

All three of his daughters followed Dr. Kenyon into the medical field: Cynthia Kenyon Drake, an exercise physiologist; Pamela Kenyon, a physician assistant; and Norma Sue Kenyon, Ph.D., a national leader in diabetes innovation and executive director of the Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research at the Miller School.

“My father was the ultimate mentor — to his daughters, his colleagues and to my research team,” said Dr. Norma Sue Kenyon, who is also the Martin Kleiman Professor of Surgery, Microbiology and Immunology, Biomedical Engineering, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Diabetes Research Institute. “He left a legacy of professionalism and compassion.”  

Even in retirement, Dr. Kenyon remained active. He volunteered in Norma Kenyon’s lab at the Diabetes Research Institute, co-authoring papers and advancing islet cell transplantation. In 2013, he watched proudly as she was inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society decades after his own induction, a shared symbol of their deep bond with the university. 

Dr. Kenyon passed away in April 2020. He leaves behind more than memories — he leaves a legacy of precision, purpose and profound influence that continues to shape his family, his profession and the Miller School itself.