Greetings and hugs were exchanged when alumni convened at the Perdido Beach Resort June 15-17, 2007. The weekend honored six reunion classes (1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997 and 2002) as they returned to the Gulf Coast to reminisce about medical school days. The weather was perfect.
The weekend included four hours of CME programs. Two alumni made presentations on Friday morning: Dr. Jay Montgomery ’77, Captain, MC, United States Navy; Head, Division of Allergy and Immunology, National Naval Medical Center (Vaccines: 21st Century Armor) and Dr. William “Jet” Broughton, ’82, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, USA COM (Who is Hypnos and Why Should I Care?). Saturday morning’s presentations were made by Dr. Mark S. Williams, ’80, Associate Professor, University of Alabama SOM, Department of Anesthesiology (On Silos, Quality and Value) and Dr. James M. Cummings, ’82, Professor of Surgery, Chief or Urology, St. Louis University SOM (Romancing the Stone – 25 Years of Progress in the Diagnosis, Prevention and Management of Urinary Calculi).
A brief business meeting was held on Saturday morning. Dr. Samuel J. Strada, Interim Dean of the College of Medicine, gave an update on recent developments with the school and hospital system. President Lamar Duffy ’84 presented him with three checks from the association - $50,000 (with matching funds from the University) for the Medical Alumni Scholarship Fund, $25,000 (with matching funds from the University) for the John B. Bass Endowment Fund, and another $1,000 gift to the Dr. Edwin R. Hughes Fund for Basic Sciences.
At the Saturday night dinner, Dr. Lamar Duffy presented a special recognition award and small gifts of appreciation to Dr. Gaylord T. Walker for his outstanding service to the College of Medicine as a faculty member and residency director for the Department of Surgery.
The weekend festivities closed with a pool-side dessert bar and a fireworks show. Alumni enjoyed a beautiful breezy night while saying their goodbyes until the next reunion.
Plans are currently underway for the 2008 Medical Alumni Weekend. If you are a member of the following classes start making your plans to enjoy the sun and surf of Orange Beach next June 4-6, 2008!
Classes 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003
See you at the beach!