Professionalism--where are all the heroes?

Abstract

President Dick; Past Presidents Urbaniak, Leach, and Amstutz; members and guests; ladies and gentlemen: Many of the former presidents of this organization have spoken about the humility that they felt as they assumed office of this grand association, the oldest orthopaedic association in the world! Several spoke of their surprise at being elected. All spoke of the pride that they felt in being given the opportunity to represent this organization. I am no different. I must first give thanks to those people who have been very instrumental in my life—namely, my parents, who provided me with excellent role models for maintaining a work ethic; my many educators, teachers, and coaches, who inspired me to work hard, to try my best, and to adopt a never-give-up attitude; my children, who have taught me what life is really all about; and, especially, my wife, Mary Ann, whose love, support, and understanding frequently have been stretched to the limit. While preparing for this address, I did the usual and customary reading of past presidents' addresses, searched through Bartlett's Book of Quotations and Roget's Thesaurus, and had my son help me go online to get material. The topic that I have chosen is professionalism. The word profession is defined in Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary as: “ 1: the act of taking the vows of a religious community 2: an act of openly declaring or publicly claiming a belief, faith, or opinion ... 3: an avowed religious faith 4 a: a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation b: a principal calling, vocation, or employment c: the whole body of persons engaged in a calling.”13 John Racy, in an essay on professionalism, suggested an alternative definition: “A profession is a socially sanctioned activity whose primary object is the well …