Our Mission

South Florida Chapter of the American College of Surgeons

  • To Provide the Highest Level of Patient Care

  • To Pursue Excellence in the Surgical Arts

  • To Preserve the Right of a Surgeon to Choose the Way to Practice the Profession

  • To Promote the Highest Level of Service to Society

  • To Promote the Right of Patient and Surgeon to Freely Choose to Associate with One Another

  • To Avoid Having Market Forces or Political Influence Affect Clinical Decisions of Treatment Choices for Patients

History

Presented by Charles Monnin MD, FACS Chapter Historian.

The group that was to become the Miami Chapter of the American College of Surgeons was formed in 1950 or 1951. The group consisted of about ten local surgeons who would meet at the Columbus Hotel. These surgeons included George D. Lilly, Richard C. Clay, Don Smith, John Hilsenbeck, James Merritt, Bobby Lee, Morris Blau, Dick Fleming, Marvin Flannery, Fred Farrer, Raymond Grave, Walter Jones, Perry Melvin and Robert Dickey.

Monthly meetings soon followed and were held at the Columbus Hotel in downtown Miami. Discussions included problems in surgery as well as surgical case problems in the area. Young qualified surgeons were encouraged and helped in obtaining hospital privileges.

The original group was organized on October 15, 1953, when Dr. Walter C. Jones, a Governor of the College from Florida, called a meeting of Fellows in the Greater Miami area to discuss the feasibility of organizing a local chapter; the meeting was held at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The following thirty-five fellows were present: Drs. Herman Boughton, Ruben Christman, Richard C. Clay, George D. Lilly, Ed W. Cullipher, Carl W. Davis, Robert Dickey, L.W. Dowlen, Rudolph Drosd, Fred Farrer, Richard Fleming, S.B. Goldman, Raymond Graves, Tracy Haverfield, John Hilsenbeck, Bruch Hogg, Ferdinand Kauders, Donald Smith, John Snyder, Richard Strain, Guy Van Alstyne, Herbert Virgin, Jr., and Walter M. Yost.

The following officers were elected:
President - Dr. George D. Lilly
Vice-President - Dr. L.W. Dowlen
Secretary-Treasurer - Dr. Richard C. Clay
Members of Council - Dr. Walter Jones, Dr. Richard Fleming, Dr. Perry Melvin and Dr. Marvin Flannery.

Early on, the meetings were black tie affairs. The first meeting of the Miami Chapter of the American College of Surgeons was held in the Miami Club, on the mezzanine of the Columbus Hotel, in downtown Miami. For the first meeting, Dr. Lilly had invited Dr. Alton Ochsner and Dr. Alfred Blalock to be the speakers. (By coincidence, it was the week that Dr. Ochsner’s article on the relationship between tobacco and cancer of the lung was published in JAMA) Dr. Lilly had arranged with Dr. Ochsner to do several chest cases at Jackson Memorial Hospital for Dr. Blau, in order to have someone in town doing the chest surgery. When Dr. D. Daughtry came to town, Dr. Blau turned the work in chest surgery over to him.

At that time, there was discussion concerning the founding of the Medical School, as well as helping in the accreditation of surgery in the various local hospitals.

It was 5 o’clock and the last patients had gone, the nurse and secretary were leaving. George Lilly was finishing his notes and dictation, after which he changed to his tuxedo. We then walked across the street to the Columbus Hotel and up to The Miami Club’s smoke filled rooms where most of the members had gathered for the reception: martinis and all. Dinners usually consisted of a fruit cocktail, steak with a baked potato, salad and a sweet dessert along with coffee. Cigars were offered. Considering how few of us are left that were at the founding dinner of the Greater Miami Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, I felt that it was incumbent to write the history before it is forgotten. At the time, I was a candidate member of the College and a resident at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Coral Gables. I was an invited guest.

After many hours of work, (interviews, tape recordings, pages of notes, etc., - a two pound chart), I have been able to get a complete list of officers from the organization in 1952/1953 to 1978. The records from 1978 leave a little to be desired and/or have been lost! I have written each of the ensuing presidents without much help. The home office in Chicago was kind enough to let Mr. Bill Bouck, our Executive Director, have their records.

"We would meet at the Columbus Hotel monthly and have a good dinner," said Dr. Blau, an original member and one of the founders of the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital. “Discussions included problems in surgery as well as our surgical case problems. Young qualified surgeons were encouraged and helped in obtaining hospital privileges.”

The value of membership as remembered by Dr. Dewitt Daughtry: “When I came to town and saw General Hillman at Jackson, I was told that no matter how well qualified I was, I would have to be a tax-paying citizen of Dade County for a year before I could have privileges at Jackson. Thanks to Dr. Lilly, Dr. Blau and Dr. Raymond Graves, who made calls on my behalf, I was able to admit patients without waiting a year. Believe me, it was difficult in those days to get privileges.”

A special thanks goes to Dr. Richard Clay for his expertise, (it is interesting to note that Dr. Clay is not mentioned in the Chicago files as president of the local chapter in 1956); Kathleen Gordon, a Professor of English at the University of Miami; and to Mr. Bill Bouck, Executive Director of the South Florida Chapter of the American College of Surgeons.