With the passing of past president John S. Hattox, M.D., on December 31, 2017, ASA lost a pioneer, a visionary leader, a mentor and, to so many of us, a dear friend. John was by nature a modest man, but his passion for the specialty led him to attain the highest leadership positions and honors in his field. He served as California Society of Anesthesiologists (CSA) President in 1966, and ASA President in 1980. He received the CSA Distinguished Service Award in 1982 and the ASA Distinguished Service Award in 1992. In 1951, at the beginning of his career, he became the seventh member of Anesthesia Service Medical Group (ASMG) in San Diego, which he helped develop into possibly the first large private practice group in the United States.
John Hattox was born in Coldwater, Mississippi, in 1921. John was very close to his father, who died at the age...
