What's in a name?
On July 21, 1978, the Board of Trustees of the TMA Health Care Liability Claim Trust met to discuss the operating name of the newly-established medical liability claim trust. Board members suggested four operating names:
- Texas Medical Indemnity
- Texas Medical Liability Trust
- Texas Liability Trust
- Texas Medical Insurance Trust
“By secret ballot, the board voted (5-2) to select Texas Medical Liability Trust as its operating name.”
If they had chosen Texas Medical Indemnity, our initials would have been TMI.
At this same meeting, the board authorized staff to contact a graphics artist to begin work on developing letterhead and a logo. The board voted (7 to 0) to authorize an initial expenditure not to exceed $500 to develop samples of letterhead for review by the board.”
This led to the creation of TMLT’s first logo.
Members of the board who were at this meeting: Dr. Milton V. Davis, Dr. Presley Chalmers, Dr. Ed W. Schmidt, Dr. Charles W. Castle, Dr. Robert G. Thumwood, Dr. Warren F. Tingley, and Richard L. Vardy. Members absent were Dr. Walter Brooks and Dr. Francis O’Neill. Representing American Health Systems was Mr. John Dorsett. Representing legal counsel was Mr. Ace Pickens. Representing staff was Mr. Paul Gray.