Texas A&M Donors Honor Aggie Veterinarian With Comfort Room In New Hospital

Story by Megan Bennett, VMBS Marketing & Communications

July 31, 2025

Houstonians Rob and MaryEllen Kimbrough are dedicating a comfort room in Texas A&M University’s Linda & Dennis Clark ’68 Small Animal Teaching Hospital in honor of their longtime veterinarian, Dr. Sam Miller ’91, and the compassionate care he showed to the couple’s beloved Labrador retrievers throughout their lives.

The Sam G. Miller, DVM ’91 Comfort Room will serve as a private space for owners to spend time with pets that are experiencing long hospital stays and, when necessary, take however long is needed to say goodbye.

“We were distraught when we had to say goodbye to our dogs, but Dr. Miller made us feel so much better because we knew they were being taken care of,” Rob said. “There’s nobody in the world who comforted me more during that time than Dr. Miller. A comfort room is the perfect room to name after him.”

Man’s — And Woman’s — Best Friend

Rob and MaryEllen both grew up in Houston with beloved dogs by their sides.

“I had my dog Prissy from when I was 1 until I was 18,” Rob said. “We grew up together and she went everywhere with us; she was like my sibling.”

Likewise, MaryEllen spent her childhood alongside a Beagle named Pepper, who still holds a special place in her heart.

Neither ever thought they would have such special companions again until they met Barkley, a chocolate Labrador, and Gracie, a white Labrador.

Barkley and Gracie were more than just pets to the Kimbroughs — they were family.

“We don’t have kids, so they were our babies,” Rob said.

“They were almost like people,” MaryEllen added. “They liked to play but they never tore anything up. People always say they have the best dog, but Barkley and Gracie were truly the best dogs.”

Bonded By Compassionate Care

The Kimbroughs met Miller, who was then working as a veterinarian at Village Veterinary Clinic in Houston, when Gracie began experiencing a serious medical concern that her former veterinarian couldn’t diagnose. 

“Within four hours, Dr. Miller found out she had two infections causing her problems,” Rob said. “Village Veterinary Clinic became our home after that.”

No matter what challenge the Kimbroughs and their dogs faced, they knew that Miller would be there to help however he could.

“He was patient and kind, and he had such good bedside manner,” MaryEllen said. “He didn’t overreact if there was a problem; he would stay calm, which was good because when it’s your dog and something’s wrong, you’re very anxious. It made a world of difference knowing that if something went wrong, he was going to do whatever it took to figure it out.”

The Kimbroughs had their first experience with the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) when Barkley developed a mass on his leg and Miller recommended they take him to the Small Animal Teaching Hospital for surgery.

“His veterinarians were so incredible,” Rob said. “They called us every hour to update us. When we went to pick Barkley up, it was like he didn’t even want to leave. It was a great experience.”

Five years later, when Barkley developed a serious illness at 15-and-a-half years old, Miller was there to help the Kimbroughs say goodbye. He was there for them again two years after that, when it was time to say goodbye to 16-and-a-half-year-old Gracie.

“It was a Saturday morning and I knew that it was time,” Rob said. “Dr. Miller was at his ranch but he drove in when I called him. Gracie had started to get scared of going to the vet clinic in her later years, so he came to our home and we put her to sleep in our back bedroom. 

“I attribute our dogs’ long lives to Dr. Miller,” he said. “Barkley and Gracie were my best friends. When somebody takes care of someone I love like that, I’ll never forget them.”

Building A Legacy

Rob is the owner and chief executive officer of Upchurch Kimbrough, a masonry supply company started by his father in 1973. In addition to being a family business, the company is special to him because it’s where he met MaryEllen, who works as an architectural sales assistant. 

The company has expanded tremendously in the past eight years and now has offices in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas/Fort Worth.

Spurred by their company’s success, the Kimbroughs began a tradition of giving to causes that aligned with their passions for people and animals. 

Although not Aggies themselves — Rob attended Sam Houston State University and MaryEllen went to the University of Houston — they have a strong love for Texas A&M and the VMBS. They now have a history of donating to the college, including establishing the Anna Klein Memorial Equine Compassionate Care Fund at the Large Animal Teaching Hospital.

“We didn’t go to A&M, but so many of our friends did,” Rob said. “We just feel very close to the university, especially having known A&M vets like Dr. Miller. We love animals so much and we love people who love animals. It seems like everyone at A&M is an animal lover.”

When the opportunity arose to dedicate a space in the Linda & Dennis Clark ’68 Small Animal Teaching Hospital — which is expected to open in August 2027 — the Kimbroughs knew it was the perfect way to honor Miller, who now serves as director of the VMBS’ Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center, helping provide the physical, emotional, and medical needs for pets whose owners are no longer able to provide that care.

“We would do anything to show our gratitude and appreciation for everything Dr. Miller did for our dogs,” MaryEllen said.

The Kimbroughs know how hard it is to say goodbye to a beloved pet, which is why they decided to help provide a special place for other owners going through the same thing.

“The comfort room will be a great place for somebody to have privacy to cry and do what they need to do to say goodbye,” Rob said. “Hopefully, when people are there, somebody can talk to them and make them feel better like Dr. Miller and his staff did for us.”

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For more information about the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at vetmed.tamu.edu or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216

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