2015 James Ewing Lecture: The 75-Year History of the Society of Surgical Oncology—Part I: The Traditional Years (1940–1965)

It is an honor and a privilege for me (CMB) to give the James Ewing lecture and review some historical highlights that have occurred over the past 75 years of the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO).The Society began as an alumni organization for surgeons trained at Memorial Hospital (itself an important part of surgical oncology history) that evolved into a national and then global society for surgeons treating cancer.We have identified 11 historical highlights, although there are many more that could have been included (Table 1).There is so much rich history about the heritage of this Society and its leaders that has not been available in the public domain.For this reason, the editors of the Annals of Surgical Oncology have agreed to publish a three-part series in 25-year segments : 1940-1965 (''The Traditional Years''), 1966-1990 (''The Transitional Years''), and 1991-2015 (''The Transformative Years'').Many of the quotations are taken directly from the minutes of the Society's Board meetings through the years.Additional details and background information are available in the electronic supplementary material and on the SSO website.