I express my sincere appreciation to Harold Maurer, Dean of the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, and to Dr. Samuel Cohen, Chair of the Department of Pathology and Microbiology, for their support. Posthumously, I want to recognize Dr. David Purtilo, former chair of the department, who was an important mentor in my early career. Unquestionably, my life has been enriched by my volunteer affiliation with the ASCP, it's staff and volunteers. In particular, I want to recognize the recent ASCP presidents who have served during my tenure on the Board of Directors. These individuals have been important role models during my six years on the Board.
Pathology has a particular affection for acronyms.
The letters LMP can summarize my personal remarks. This does not represent a new laboratory management program or some new innovation in molecular pathology. Nebraska jokes aside, the rote answer is that the opportunity to serve as president follows years of volunteer service, that results in your peers identifying you as a potential leader. As I prepared for this address, however, I thought my friend's whimsical question deserved more careful introspection, particularly as it relates to the concept of leadership. Cotter defined leadership as a process that creates an organization in the first place, or adapts it to significantly changing circumstances.