Madeline Kirven-Gamble joined UT Southwestern in 1979 as a Senior Clerk in the Department of Medical Computing Resources. The Department has changed names twice, morphing first to Academic Computing and then to Information Resources, and she has changed names once – adding “Gamble” when she married – but she has never contemplated straying from the Department she first became part of 45 years ago.

And why would she, when her work brings her such immense joy?

“Knowing that my work makes a difference energizes me,” says Mrs. Kirven-Gamble, now an Administrative Manager in Information Resources. “Watching television testimonials of individuals expressing how they were at the brink of death and were transferred to UT Southwestern, where they were treated by medical experts with advanced technology and medications that saved their lives, makes me feel so proud.”

Her work at UT Southwestern is a far cry from her childhood on a ranch near Mexia, Texas. She was the ninth of 13 children, surrounded by cattle and pigs. Her family grew hay for the animals, vegetables for themselves, and cotton for cash. And, of course, there were horses for riding and rounding up cattle. It was a warm childhood – the siblings are still close – but also one that taught values like humility, honesty, hard work, and taking initiative.

Asked what would surprise her co-workers about her, she says it would be the origin of her nickname.

That name – “Matt” – grew out of a childhood experience. From the time she was a tiny girl, she has always loved watching Westerns. Once when she was 5 years old, she was watching Gunsmoke on TV and it looked like the bad guy was going to get away. Upset, she threw the BB gun she was holding on the floor. The gun went off and shot the TV.

Her older brother said she was just trying to help corral the bad guy and he started calling her Matt (as in Matt Dillon, the character played by James Arness in Gunsmoke). The nickname stuck.

Mrs. Kirven-Gamble says her co-workers are a big part of what has kept her in one department for so many years.

“The family-oriented environment makes it a joy to work here,” she says.

As an example of the closeness among her work colleagues, 32 years ago many of them traveled all the way to Mexia for her wedding to Don Gamble in a Texas-style event with barbecue and horseback riding. It remains one of her happiest memories.

The couple have two children: daughter Destiny and son Tray. Mrs. Kirven-Gamble is forever thankful to her family and extended UTSW family for the outpouring of love and support after the loss of her other son in 2023.

Perhaps the best testimonial to how highly Mrs. Kirven-Gamble thinks of UT Southwestern is that she encouraged her daughter to apply here as well. Destiny Gamble joined the UTSW team in 2019, working in the Department of Biophysics as a Grants and Contracts Specialist.

“It’s gratifying to work at an institution that attributes its success to the many contributions of its employees,” she says. “I enjoy the challenges and opportunities that allow me to grow personally and there’s the added perks of having my physician and a state-of-the-art hospital in the same institution.”

---