Who do you say you are?

Walter H. Merrill, MD Mation and guests, it is an honor to stand before you this morning. I am grateful for the kind introduction by Erle Austin. He has been generous in purposefully overlooking most of my faults and shortcomings. I am reminded of the words of Winston Churchill, who, when speaking of another person, could well have been speaking of me when he described “a modest little person, with much to be modest about.” It has been a wonderful and meaningful experience to serve as your President. I wish to give special thanks to the current staff, Council, committee members, and others who have been so helpful to me and have been instrumental in moving the agenda of this special organization forward. I also remind you of the remarkable contributions of former members of our support staff, especially those of Nancy Puckett, Katie Bochenek, and Joyce Gambino. There are many things that I owe to numerous people. One of my favorite sayings concerns the importance of choosing your parents carefully. Of course that is not possible, but I ammost fortunate to be one of the offspring of two wonderful parents. Althoughmy father died when I wasquite young, I have felt his constant presence inmy life, and my mother continues to be an amazing source of inspiration, wisdom, and love. I am also fortunate to have a fantastic sister who has been supportive of me over the years. I cannot say enough about the tolerance, understanding, and steadfast love that have been showeredupon me by my wife, Morgan, our four wonderful children, and all the members of my extended family. To those mentioned, especially, and to countless friends, colleagues, mentors, coaches, teachers, domestic workers, students, residents, patients and patients’ families, and so many others, I am deeply indebted to you and eternally grateful. Without the love and support of all these people, nothing wouldhavebeenpossible, surely nothingwouldhavebeen accomplished, and no aspect of the journey would have been worthwhile. Our annual meeting brings us together as a body to celebrate scholarship, fellowship, and service. Similar to many other professional societies, the meeting continues to maintain the tradition of a Presidential Address. While one can argue whether or not such an activity is necessary, or a good idea, it does afford your President the opportunity to stand here before you and to utilize the “bully pulpit,” which is generally considered a first-rate