George P. Rosemond correspondence

Collection

Identifier: CPP 2/007-02

Scope and Contents

This collection contains a small amount of George Rosemond’s correspondence, 1978-1980, from his tenure as President of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

The bulk of the correspondence concerns appointments to committees and acknowledgements of gifts and contributions. It is likely that much of this collection contains duplicates of the material found in CPP 2/007-01, Presidential papers of George P. Rosemond.

The two collections will be merged and reprocessed together as a single collection at a later date.

This collection was discovered during a survey in the summer and fall of 2015. It was processed in the fall of 2018.

Dates

1978-1980

Creator

College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Office of the President (Organization)

Office of the President history

The Office of the President of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia is first described in the 1787 constitution. The constitution states that the President “shall have power to call extraordinary Meetings whenever important, or unexpected Business shall require, of which he shall be the Judge;” the constitution also states that the president was authorized to call a special session when requested by at least six Fellows. According to the 1834 by-laws, the president was responsible for presiding at College meetings and signing orders from the treasurer, but he could not discuss any questions while in the chair except when necessary to come to a decision. This latter regulation was dropped from the 1863 by-laws, and new responsibilities were added in 1882, when the president was given “general supervision of the affairs of the College” and was required to present an annual address.

In 1886, due to the influence of president S, Weir Mitchell, the by-laws were again amended. Mitchell secured the right to be informed of all committee meetings and to attend them if he wished, Another of Mitchell's requests, for a five year presidential term, was never approved. The responsibilities of the president remained much the same until 1914. In the by-laws of this year, the president's duty of “sign[ing] all warrants on the Treasurer” was omitted. 1925 marked a major change in the Office of the President; in this year, he was granted ex-officio membership in all standing committees and had the power to elect most committee members. The first regulation concerning the president's term was instituted in the 1935 by-laws, which state that no president may serve more than three years in a row. Additional changes in the Office of the President did not occur until 1972. The by-laws of this year state that the president must publish his annual address, submit a yearly summary of the activities of the College, and “appoint all standing committees and designate the Chairmen.” with the exception of the Nominating committee, The president's term was again restricted in the 1984 bylaws, which state that the president is limited to one two-year term. As of 2018, this is still an active office.

George P. Rosemond biography

George P. Rosemond was born in 1910 in Hillsboro, North Carolina. He earned his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine in 1934 and completed his internship and residency at Temple University Hospital. He then joined the Department of Surgery at Temple as a surgery instructor in 1939, rising to full professorship and serving as head of the department from 1966 to 1976. Rosemond accepted Emeritus status in 1981.

In 1946, Rosemond was elected a Fellow of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and served as its President from 1978 to 1980. He was a member of the American Cancer Society, serving as its President and as a recipient of the Kain Moses Cancer Research Award; the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery, the Philadelphia County Medical Society, from whom he received the Strittmatter Award; and the National Cancer Institute. In 1972, he participated in a 22-day trip with 18 other Cancer Society members to the People’s Republic of China to establish a cancer-related liaison.

Rosemond married Jean (nee Mason), in 1937, and they had one daughter, Linda. Jean died in 1976, but he was survived by his daughter, Linda, when he died in 2002.

Extent

.2 Linear feet (1 half document box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

This collection contains a small amount of George Rosemond’s correspondence, 1978-1980, from his tenure as President of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

George P. Rosemond was born in 1910 in Hillsboro, North Carolina. He earned his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine in 1934 and completed his internship and residency at Temple University Hospital. He then joined the Department of Surgery at Temple, where he remained until he retired in 1981.

In 1946, Rosemond was elected a Fellow of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and served as its President from 1978 to 1980. He died in Philadelphia in 2002.