60 Years of the Western

A quick look at 6 decades of theWestern Neurosurgical Society

A 10 minute talk -- plus time for extended applause

The Western..

Still Strong

Still Relevant

Still your Society

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These three men first discussed forming a regional society particularly after noting initial success of the Southern Neurosurgical Society, the first US regional society, formed in 1948.  The SF Neurology Society is where CA neurosurgeons would gather and where plans were made for forming the WNS.

david

First Annual Meeting November 1955 Santa Barbara Biltmore Hotel

David Reeves 1st President

30 founding members—all neurosurgeons

22 of 30 founders from California—73%

(2014 membership ~ 50% from California)

One full day meeting.  Eight presentations. Eleven guests.

1st Banquet – no mention of formal dress

10th Annual Meeting October 1964 San Francisco Fairmont Hotel

Frank Anderson President

68 members

**Description of neurogenic claudication by Peter Lehman from Vancouver

**Description of Pantopaque cisternography for acoustics by R. L. Scanlon of LA

One full day and 2 half days meeting.  24 papers.

President elect & Historian positions created; tux banquets

frank
ronald

25th Annual Meeting September 1979 Camelback Inn, Scottsdale AZ

Donald Freshwater President

From 10th to 25th meetings:

1966   First Resident Award paper—Ralph Kamm                                    

1965   First paper on operating microscope--Jannetta

1966   First paper on vascular decompression for tic--Jannetta

1971   First golf tournament

1975   First paper on CT scan; First CME credits

50th Annual Meeting September 2004 Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, CA

Randy Smith President

From 26th to 50th meetings:

1981  Discontinued Resident Paper Award

1983  First PET scan paper

1984  First MRI paper

1985  First woman member (Fran Conley, Stanford)

1988  First report on shunt anti-siphon device (Foltz)

1991  Active Members 133; highest number in the history of the Society

1997  Society resumes Resident Awards

1999  Ralph Kamm is President (first former resident award winner to become President)

randy
rich

60th Annual Meeting August 2014 Sun Valley Lodge, Sun Valley, ID

Rich Wohns President

From 50th to 60th meetings:

2006  Society begins two Resident Awards, basicscience and clinical science

2006  Richard Ellenbogen 2nd WNS member to be CNS President (Bruce Sorensen 1st in 1977)

2013  Bill Couldwell 10th WNS member to be AANS President

2013  Deb Henry becomes 1st woman WNS Secretary-Treasurer

Notable Guests

Tom Campbell

Berkley - 2002

Victor Fuchs

Stanford - 1998

Donlin Long

Baltimore - 1998

Madgid Samii

Germany - 1997

Guido Guglielmi

Los Angeles 1991

Eben Alexander, Jr.

Winston-Salem - 1989

Kenichiro Sugita

Nagoya, Japan - 1988

Robert Ojemann

Boston - 1986

Ludwig M. Auer

Graz, Austria - 1985

PaulL. Kornblith

Bethesda - 1983

Gilles Bertrand

Montreal - 1981

William Glenn

Long Beach 1980

Kemp Clark

Dallas - 1980

Dwight Parkinson

Winnipeg - 1979

C. Miller Fisher

Boston - 1974

A. Earl Walker

Baltimore - 1973

James L. Poppen

Boston - 1973

Frank H. Mayfield

Cincinatti - 1971

Interesting Items

Three men have died in office: President Charles W. Elkins in 1973; President Phil Carter in 2010 and Herb Crockett while President-Elect in 1974 (he was only Secretary/Treasurer not to serve as President).

 

 

Don Prolo only member to have been President for 2 years (9/11  cancelled the 2001 meeting) and receive the Cloward Award.  He conceived the Cloward Award and the First Lady of the Western pendant.

 

 

Of the 38 Resident Award winners only 6 have become WNS members and 3 of the 6 became President (Kamm, Burchiel, Carter).

 

2014--The year the Society finally cut some slack for members who miss 4 consecutive meetings (adopted Debbie Henry’s idea of an Inactive membership category).

 

Rich Wohns first President to hold MD, MBA, JD degrees