Extract
Dr. Swiontkowski, ABC Presidents, ABC Traveling Fellows, distinguished
international presidents, AOA members, and guests: I am honored to have the
opportunity to address you today.I vividly recall the first meeting of the American Orthopaedic Association
(AOA) that I attended. I was thrilled when my orthopaedic mentor, Wayne
Southwick, asked me to join him and his wife, Ann, as their guest at the 1979
meeting of the AOA at the Dorado Beach Hotel in Puerto Rico. We boarded a
minibus at the San Juan airport for the trip to the hotel. A gentleman climbed
aboard, spotted Wayne and Ann, and introduced himself: "John
Sharrard—I'm carrying the flag for the BOA." Hmm, I thought, BOA,
British Orthopaedic Association. How cool was that? It was difficult for me to
imagine that I might someday merit election to membership in the AOA. I feel
like Groucho Marx who said: "I would not join any club that would have
someone like me for a member." The prospect of presiding over this
organization in the coming year is humbling.