Inspire before you retire

✍ Scribed by Neal S. Birnbaum

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 148 KB
• Volume: 58
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3591
• DOI: 10.1002/art.23481

✦ Synopsis

To borrow a line from my illustrious predecessor, Dr. Allan Gibofsky, we each have a job here tonight. My job is to talk and your job is to listen. On the chance that you may finish your job before I finish mine, I would like to extend some very important thank-yous.

First, I would like to express my gratitude to the other members of the Executive Committee-Drs. David Fox, Sherine Gabriel, Stanley Cohen, James O'Dell, and Leslie Crofford. We have worked together as a team and I cannot imagine a more thoughtful and collegial group. We dealt with difficult subjects but never with any rancor. I also want to thank our Board of Directors, who have set the policy for our organization, and our very hard-working committee chairs, who really do much of the work of the ACR. In addition, hundreds of other members serve on committees, subcommittees, and special projects.

I learned long ago that the success of any volunteer organization lies with its full-time staff. The ACR is very fortunate to have Mark Andrejeski, who recently completed 20 years as our Executive Vice-President. He is now the longest-serving medical society executive. Mark is superb at recruiting, stimulating, and mentoring a remarkable staff, which now numbers nearly 70.

I would also like to recognize the staff at Pacific Rheumatology Associates. In particular, Dr. David Curtis, my office partner since 1994, has been very gracious