Pepperdine Mourns the Passing of Life Regent Thomas Trimble
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Thomas J. Trimble, Life Regent and former chair of the University Board of Regents, on February 10, 2026. Mr. Trimble was 94 years old.
“Thomas Trimble served Pepperdine with extraordinary steadiness, wisdom, and devotion," said Pepperdine president Jim Gash (JD '93). “For decades, he blessed the University with not only his professional insight and leadership, but also a deep commitment to Christian higher education and to the Pepperdine mission. We are grateful for Tom’s life and legacy, and we join Glenna and the entire Trimble family in mourning his passing and praying for God’s comfort and peace.”
Mr. Trimble was a long-serving, dedicated supporter of the University, whose leadership and commitment to Christian higher education were truly exemplary. Mr. Trimble’s most prominent service to Pepperdine was as a member of the Pepperdine Board of Regents, which he joined in 1981. During his tenure, he chaired the Buildings and Grounds Committee and served as a member of the Religious Standards Committee and the Executive Committee. In 1982 he assumed the role of board secretary and served in that capacity until 2000, when he was appointed chair of the board. Mr. Trimble helmed the board for four years and was named a Life Regent in 2012. He also sat on the Caruso School of Laws’ advisory board, the then-Board of Visitors.
Having earned a bachelor of arts from Lipscomb University, Mr. Trimble attended Vanderbilt University Law School, where he was awarded a JD in 1956. He proved himself a scholar at Vanderbilt, serving as assistant managing editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and earning admission to the Order of the Coif, an honorary scholastic society. He also earned an LLM from the New York University School of Law where he was awarded a teaching fellowship.
Mr. Trimble had a distinguished legal career in private practice in Phoenix, Arizona, for 27 years before embarking on a 10-year term at Southwest Gas Corporation as senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary.
Esteemed members of the George Pepperdine Society, Mr. Trimble and his wife, Glenna, supported Pepperdine through gifts to the Pepperdine Legacy Partners, the Regent Scholarship Fund, the Church Leaders Scholarship, the R. Wayne Estes Endowed Scholarship, the Thomas and Glenna Trimble Endowed Scholarship for Seaver College students, and the Thomas and Glenna Trimble Endowed Scholarship at the Caruso School of Law for deserving Church of Christ students.
Mr. Trimble is survived by his wife, Glenna K. Trimble, their son, James J. Trimble (’82, JD ’85), (Lynn M. Trimble (’81, MA ’83)), their daughter, Julie Trimble Minges (’88, JD ’93), (Mark Minges (MBA ’90)), and their grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 2 PM at the Camelback Church of Christ in Phoenix, Arizona.