American Academy of Dermatology history

“it was in early 1939 a few months after the St Louis meeting of the new American Academy of Dermatology and Syphilology.

Presentation of the Golf Trophy 1940.

Beatrice M. Kesten, traditionally considered to be the first female member, was elected in 1951 and regularly attended meetings.

In 1952 Bechet wrote that "He was perhaps the friend of more American dermatologists than any one of his generation."

Doctor Troy Handy, now of Cuernavaca, Mexico, formerly of Houston, stated: “The late Doctor Arthur G. Schoch, of Schoch Letter fame and President of the Academy in 1957, a man of great charm and brilliance, was gifted with the ability to perceive and express the incongruous and comical.

31). For many years starting in 1965, the name of the winner of the golf tournament was engraved on a silver plate which is maintained in the ADA Archives (Fig.

Samuel J. Zakon, MD (left), first Historian of the American Academy of Dermatology and his mentor, Arthur Stillians, MD (right), late chairman of the Department of Dermatology at Northwestern University School of Medicine are well remembered by many members of the Academy. (*Deceased, May 17,1978)

Before 1990, it was very unusual for more than ten members to be inducted in any given year, so there was a conscious effort to increase membership up to the current limit of 250 active members.

At the 1998 meeting at the El Dorado Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, there was the first discussion of the ADA establishing a website.

Relaxation of the dress code for the meetings occurred in 2000 when business casual dress was officially adopted with the exception of the President's Dinner which was to remainBlack Tie.

Starting in 2001, Michelle Gratz became the first ADA employee working directly for the Secretary-Treasurer.

Discussions about these and other issues continued until 2014 when the Board built on previous actions and took stock of the ADA and its place in the house of medicine.