Georgia Surgical Society
Knowledge, Skill, Compassion
A Brief
History of the
Georgia Surgical Society
in the Twentieth Century
1961--1991
* 1992--2001
Comment
Often inquiries are made as to the origins of
the Georgia Surgical Society
and what the
Society
represents.
In an effort to
capture some essence of this from rapidly fading memories,
John P. Wilson
responded to our
request and with input from William G. Whitaker, William C. McGarity,
and others, penned this brief history.
We are indebted to him.
LSMc-3/17/93
Note: The following is an edited version of that
written history.
The history of the
Georgia Surgical Society
is
not truly the history of an organization, but a
history of
persons and events
within the structure of an organization, for the hallmark of this
organization
has been,
since its inception, the relationship of mutual respect among surgical
peers.
It was a sense of unfulfillment that brought
together a group of leading Georgia surgeons that
resulted
in
the establishment
of the
Georgia Surgical Society.
In the late fifties, the only state surgical
organization was the Georgia Chapter of the American
College
of Surgeons. At
that time, the Chapter served principally as an instrument of the national
organization,
for
policies and officers were decided by the national office in
Chicago with little
input from the body
of
surgeons in the state. In many
states, there were state surgical societies
separate and apart from
the state
Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, and there was a
strong feeling of a
need for
a more
personalized and representative organization for the surgeons
of
Georgia. At this propitious time, there
was a meeting of
the minds of David Henry Poer, Duncan Shepard,
Joseph Read, and William G.
Whitaker of Atlanta, Hoke Wammock of LaGrange, Julian Quattlebaum
of Savannah,
and Luther
Wolfe of Columbus, and this group served as the
progenitors of
the
Georgia
Surgical Society.
It was also at this time that circumstances
helped dictate a policy which became an integral part of
the
function of the
Society, when some of these founders, while attending a Chapter meeting at a
nearby
hostelry, had dinner at The Cloister and a chance conversation with the
manager, Irving Harned. He
welcomed and encouraged the embryo organization to meet at that
hotel, which
circumstance became
an integral part of the function of the organization.
There are many who have contributed much, and
time and space do not permit a recounting of all such
persons and events, but
before we remember a few names and times, it is essential to state clearly that
the success of this organization lies in the nature, character, and social and
professional integrity of the
membership. However, no history of the
Georgia Surgical Society
would be complete without
recognition
of the major contribution
of Bill Whitaker to the direction, energy, and purpose of the Society.
The first official meeting of the
Georgia Surgical Society
was held on 14 September 1961, and the
organization officially
came into being when the motion of Hilt Hammett of LaGrange, "that the
Georgia
Surgical Society
be formed and that the Constitution and Bylaws that had
been proposed and discussed
be adopted," was passed by unanimous vote.
The first officers elected at that meeting were
Henry Poer as President, Hoke Wammock as Vice-President,
Duncan Shepard as
Secretary, and Bill Whitaker as Treasurer. Councilors elected were Tom Goodwin
of
Augusta, Charles Richardson of Macon, and Loomis Pomeroy of Waycross.
At the same meeting, it was decided that A.C.S.
Chapter members were automatically eligible for membership
and that founding
membership would be closed as of December 1961.
Of major interest in the history of the Society
are the Scientific Programs with Guest and Member Speakers
that read like a
Who's Who of American Surgery, and which tell the tale of the evolving nature of
surgery over
the past thirty years.
It is indeed a desirable heritage, for through it
all burns the bright beacon of knowledge and caring. The formal
papers, the
frank discussions, getting to know and understand the individuals who lead in
our profession as
well
as our contributions to their knowledge, reflect the
motto, Knowledge, Skill and Compassion.
Top of Page
Georgia
Surgical Society
1992--2001
Preface
As we enter the fortieth year since the inception
of the
Georgia Surgical Society,
it seemed appropriate
to
update the History of
the organization. After due consideration, the decision was made to update
rather
than
revise the history, so that this edition contains minimal changes of
the previous one and reflects primarily
the
professional, technological, and
societal changes as they have affected the practice of surgery and,
consequently,
this Organization during the past decade.
Because history is the creation of historians, it
is to be assumed that this is no exception, although it is by
perception and
selectivity rather than factual aberration. Input has been from many members of
the Society,
but particular
mention must be made to Bill Whitaker, the late Bill McGarity, and LaMar McGinnis, who
have piloted the ship
over the years.
John P. Wilson
The last decade of the second millennium has seen
marked changes in the medical and health care systems,
particularly in the field
of surgery. Not only were there unprecedented technological advances but also
changes
in the entire process of if, when, how, and by whom many problems in
medical care are managed,
to the point of
medical decision-making by nonmedical
agents.
While the program format and character of the
Georgia Surgical Society has remained basically the same,
these
societal changes
have of necessity affected the professional function of the members and
indirectly the
Society itself.
This is reflected primarily in the inclusion of
more organizational and societal discussions in the
program.
In the intervening ten years
since the previous history, the exceptional excellence of the programs has been
maintained with
presentations and discussions appropriate to the practices of the membership.
The visiting
speakers
still read like the Who’s Who of surgery with Claude
Organ, Arnold Diethelm, Patrick O’Leary,
Kirby Bland,
George Sheldon, Victor Fazio, Alex Walt, Glenn Steele, Jon Van Heerden, John Roberts,
Paul Ebert, Josef
Fischer,
Alden Harken, Jonathan Meakins, LaSalle Leffall, Murray Brennan, Bill
Meyers,
Courtney Townsend,
David
Winchester, Ron Tompkins, Jay Grosfeld, Robert
Rhodes, Larry Carey, Tom
DeMeester, Carol Scott-Conner,
James Carrico, John
Daly, Blake Cady, Harvey Sugerman, George Block,
Frank Lewis, Sam Wells,
Timothy Eberlein, J. Kirk Martin, and Robert Anderson, along with our own stars
such as
Bill Wood, Tom Gadacz,
Martin Dalton, Josh Jurkiewicz, John Wei, Roger Foster,
Carl Hartrampf,
Dick Amerson, and John
Hunter.
The presentations represent a wide variety of
topics but reflect several areas of increased interest and concern.
There were
nineteen presentations reflecting directly or indirectly concern about economic
and political aspects
of surgical practice. There were increasing numbers of
papers referable to technological advances, particularly
laparoscopic
procedures, their pertinence, practicality, and problems. There were a number of
papers relating
to
trauma, its management and the use of ultrasound. Rectal and
colon cancer, parathyroid and thyroid diseases,
gastric and pancreatic cancer,
and bariatric surgery were discussed on multiple occasions. But the consistently
most frequent subject remained breast cancer, with fifteen presentations.
In summary, the programs continue to reflect the
major concerns of the surgeons both here and nationally,
particularly as regards
major surgical entities, increasing political and administrative concerns,
technological
advances, and the continuing unsolved problems of surgery.
As noted before, one of the primary reasons for
the formation of the Society was the sense that there were
a number of problems
for the practicing surgeon that were not being addressed by the American College
of
Surgeons. Because of the increasing commonality of problems and the
involvement by members in both
organizations, a closer tie with the Georgia
Chapter of the American College of Surgeons appeared to be
increasingly more
desirable. This had been under discussion for several years and had not been
perceived
as
practical due to the different purposes of the meetings. However,
the changing roles of the two
organizations,
increasing concern about
sociopolitical changes and the increasing shared problems, and the
facilitation
of
attendance at both meetings made such an arrangement both practical and
constructive. This
was facilitated
by the activity of several members in
organizations at the national level, LaMar McGinnis in
particular who,
as
Secretary, has had the last three directors of the American College of Surgeons,
Paul
Ebert, Sam Wells,
and Tom Russell, as guest speakers.
It was decided that a conjoint meeting of the two
organizations, each preserving its identity and structure,
would be optimal. As
a consequence, beginning in November 2001 the meetings will be held
sequentially,
with each maintaining its unique character; the
Georgia Surgical Society featuring a nationally recognized
panel of speakers and local
authorities, and the College Chapter meeting continuing the excellent Surgical
Resident presentations with National officers addressing primarily social,
political, and economic issues.
In 1997 in recognition of his seminal involvement
and development of the Society, the William G. Whitaker
Jr.
Annual Lecture was
established with the initial presentation by William Wood, followed in 1998 by
Robert
Smith, in 2000 by LaMar McGinnis, and in 2001 by Tom Gadacz.
A hurricane threat again in 1999 precipitated a
last minute cancellation of the meeting, resulting in a second
two-term
president, Duane Blair. Due to this recurring hurricane season problem and
conflicting dates of
religious days, the time of the annual meeting was, for the
first time, in 2001 changed from beginning on the
third Thursday in September to
the second Thursday in November.
From the beginning, it had been the opinion of
the Council that commercialization of the meeting by having
exhibitors was not
desirable. However, with the explosion of technical development and
instrumentation, it
became apparent that one of the needs of the practicing
surgeon was a familiarity with current technical tools,
so that in 1994 the
first commercial exhibits were begun. Although this was proposed primarily to
facilitate
familiarity with technical advances, it was also financially
beneficial.
On the social side, there have been gradual but
significant changes, particularly in the sport events. Tennis,
which had been
the dominant sports activity, began to be replaced by golf, concurrent with the
significant
upgrading of the golf facilities. The skeet shoot was discontinued
as an official event because of declining
interest but revived, and the
Carrollton Surgical Group presented a handsome skeet trophy in memory of
Bill McGarity to be awarded annually. Tom Gadaz instituted a fly fishing clinic in
1998, and the Walk-Run
events have become very popular under the tutelage of
"T" Reeve. The proposed croquet event was short-
lived
due to lack of
interest.
The social evenings have gradually changed from
dancing and socializing in the Club Rooms in the evening
to
nightly planned
pre-dinner social gatherings for all members and guests and a later leisurely
dinner in the
dining
room or Beach Club or Golf Club, with late night partying
virtually non-existent. The morning bridge
for the
ladies has been replaced by
kitchen tours, cottage and facilities tours, and entertaining lectures.
And then there are always special memories.
The Cloister, noting, at our 35th
annual meeting, that our organization had the longest sustained regular
meeting
of any group at The Cloister, hosted a Friday night reception for us.
The Society adopted a new official tie, an
official logo and seal, a presidential certificate presented yearly to
the
President, and acquired courtesy of Bob Smith and LaMar McGinnis, a gavel made
from a Sea Island
oak, and Bill McGarity’s photo book of programs and
speakers.
A
Georgia Surgical Society web site
has been
developed by Tom Dodson and can be accessed at
www.gasurgsociety.org.
Established the tradition of the presentation of
a Tiffany sterling silver pocket knife with inscription to the
Whitaker
lecturer.
First honorariums to out of State speakers in
2000.
The delightful tradition of John David Mullins
and Max White "picking and singing" at the Wednesday
evening Welcome
reception (formerly the President’s Reception) which had grown from a small
gathering
in Suite 400
Hamilton House to the
"everybody-invited-casual-get-together" at the Gazebo.
Dan Sullivan becoming the first surgical in-state
honorary member (the first in-state honorary member was
a
non-surgeon, Spalding Schroder).
Joe Bowden betting Tiger Woods against the field
in his early appearance at the Masters – and winning (both).
Jonathan Meakins’ "Art and Medicine:
Medicine in Art" presentation to the spouses’ coffee so impressive
that
it had to be repeated at the Surgeons’ meeting the next day.
Frank Wilson and a few others daring the
hurricane while the rest of us parked for hours on Interstate 16.
George Block and Alex Walt as entertainers as
well as speakers. They will both be missed.
The raucous, earsplitting conversation at the
Awards party finally controlled by Reeves’ humor and Engler’s
whistle. Now
we will know who won what.
The loss of several of our most active members,
in particular Bob Gongaware and Bill McGarity, and
Chubby Engler’s fitting
tribute to Bill Moretz.
LaMar McGinnis describes the current status of
the Society thus, "We have observed the change in social
patterns through
the years in that virtually no one goes to the Club Room after dinner.
Certainly, the alcohol
habits
have changed over the years with a marked
diminution in intake and resultant socialization. The Society
continues
to grow,
although slowly, and the meetings have always been highly commended in the
evaluations
and enjoyed
by those present." It can be added that the Society
has properly actively extended its membership,
though never
limited, regarding ethnicity and gender.
As the delivery of medical care and surgical
practice continue to evolve, it is important to evaluate the role of
the
Georgia Surgical Society. It becomes increasingly apparent that those things for which
it was organized
are those elements of surgical practice that are most
endangered by the depersonalized medical care that has
become
progressively more
dominant and undesirable. It is only through the efforts and philosophy of
organizations such as
the
Georgia Surgical Society that the ultimate objective
of medicine, the personalized
concern and care for the
true welfare of each and
every individual patient can be obtained. To help each
surgeon utilize the best
of knowledge,
skill, and compassion, to give every patient the best in
surgical care,
to treat not just the disease but the patient
with the disease is
the continuing role of the
Georgia Surgical Society.
J.P.W. - 01
Last Updated:
4/18/2011
