The American College of Surgeons was incorporated on November 25, 1912, in the State of Illinois. There were 546 founding members. None of the founding members were from New Mexico. However, once formed, New Mexico’s first member was Frank N. Carrier, MD who became a fellow of the College in 1915. Dr. Carrier, born June 13, 1872, in Brookville, PA, graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1893. Dr. Carrier, who began his practice in Colorado, was licensed in New Mexico in 1910 and practiced as a surgeon for the Chino Copper Company in Santa Rita, NM. He retired in 1936.

It was not until 1920 that the next two practitioners in New Mexico joined the College, William F. Glasier, MD of Carlsbad and Alden D. Catterson, MD of Tucumcari. In 1921, the first Albuquerque surgeons joined the College – Percy G. Cornish, MD and George S. McLandress, MD. Dr. Cornish’s son, P.G. Cornish Jr. MD, would later be the first Governor of the College from New Mexico. His grandson, P. G. Cornish III, MD, would later become president of the New Mexico Chapter in 1980 and would also serve as the Governor of the College from 1982-1988.

In 1924, there were a total of ten members in the College in New Mexico from seven different communities in the state. By 1958, the New Mexico College membership numbered up to fifty six. At this time, the Board of Regents, the governing body of the College, was encouraging states to form local College chapters. Accordingly, William W. Kridelbaugh, MD, directed by P.J. Cornish III, MD, who was the New Mexico Governor at the time, contacted each member of the College in New Mexico and convened the first meeting of the New Mexico College of Surgeons. This meeting was held in Santa Fe on May 16, 1957. Thirty-four Fellows attended this organizational meeting and the New Mexico Chapter of the American College of Surgeons was formed. Dr. Kridelbaugh was elected as the first president of the Chapter.

In 1962, Fellows from New Mexico under the leadership of NM Chapter president, Alan Haynes, MD of Clovis and Fellows from El Paso, Texas met in Cloudcroft, New Mexico to form the New Mexico-El Paso Chapter of the American College of Surgeons. William W. Kridelbaugh MD, FACS was elected its first president. In 1981, the El Paso members were polled and voted to withdraw from the New Mexico-El Paso chapter to join the West Texas Chapter. Subsequently, the New Mexico-El Paso Chapter was dissolved in 1983, and the New Mexico Chapter of the American College of Surgeons was formed.

The New Mexico chapter membership now numbers over 350. Scientific meetings are held annually.

American College of Surgeons — New Mexico Chapter

Past and Present — Presidents, Governors, Regents and Officers

Chapter Presidents

• 1957 William W. Kridelbaugh, MD, Albuquerque
• 1958 Robert C. Derbyshire, MD, Santa Fe
• 1959 Lawrence W. Wilkinson, MD, Albuquerque
• 1960 Harold J. Beck, MD, Albuquerque
• 1961 Joseph Gordon, MD, Albuquerque
• 1962 Alan L. Haynes Sr., Clovis
• 1963 William W. Kridelbaugh, MD, Albuquerque
• 1964 J. Leighton Green, MD, El Paso
• 1965 John F. Boyd, MD, Albuquerque
• 1966 Clement C. Boehler, MD, El Paso
• 1967 William C. Gorman, MD, El Paso
• 1968 David M. Cameron, MD, El Paso
• 1969 Merrill W. Brown, MD, Albuquerque
• 1970 Donald H. Ewalt, MD, El Paso
• 1971 Emmit M. Jennings, MD, Roswell
• 1972 Richard J. Hanis, MD, El Paso
• 1973 William J. Langlois, MD, Albuquerque
• 1974 William H. Wade. MD. El Paso
• 1975 John B. Roberts, MD, Albuquerque
• 1976 George W. lwen, MD, El Paso
• 1977 Ole A. Peloso, MD, Albuquerque
• 1978 Victor M. Blanco, MD, El Paso
• 1979 Percy G. Comish Ill, MD, Albuquerque
• 1980 William G. Smith, MD, El Paso
• 1981 Edward J. Johnson, MD, Albuquerque
• 1982 William J. Mciver, MD, Albuquerque
• 1983 Michael B. Jackson, MD, LosAlamos
• 1984 Brian G. Miscall, MD, Albuquerque
• 1985 Robert H. Wilbee, MD, Las Cruces
• 1986 Lawrence J. Spingola, MD, Albuquerque
• 1987 David L. Kendall, MD Farmington
• 1988 Livingston Parsons, MD, Albuquerque
• 1989 Emmit M. Jennings, MD, Roswell
• 1990 Chester Y. Sakura, MD, Albuquerque
• 1991 Stephan H. Haynes, MD, Clovis
• 1992 Robert L. Milne, MD, Albuquerque
• 1993 Michael B. Jackson, MD, Los Alamos
• 1994 Jorge A. Wemly, MD, Albuquerque
• 1995 Karen Milliom, MD, Santa Fe
• 1996 William J. Mciver, MD, Albuquerque
• 1997 Mel W. Twiest, MD, Albuquerque
• 1998 John D. Kiker, MD, Roswell
• 1999 Donald E. Fry, MD, Albuquerque
• 2000 Albert M. Kwan, MD, Clovis
• 2001 William Syme, MD, Albuquerque
• 2002 Susan Stuart, MD, Gallup
• 2003 Don Morris, MD, Albuquerque
• 2004 Ralph Macfarlane, MD, Artesia
• 2005 Thomas Howdieshell, MD, Albuquerque
• 2006 Jacob George, MD, Clovis
• 2007 David Pitcher, MD, Albuquerque
• 2008 Ralph Warren, MD, Gallup
• 2009 Stephen Lu, MD, Albuquerque
• 2010 No meeting
• 2011 No meeting
• 2012 Stephen Lu, MD, Albuquerque resumes duty
• 2013 Charles Guimaraes, MD, Gallup
• 2014 Murugan Athigaman, MD, Carlsbad
• 2015 Melania Yates, MD, Farmington
• 2016 Anthony Vigil, MD, Albuquerque
• 2017 Jean Remillard, MD, Albuquerque
• 2018 Bridget Fahy, MD, Albuquerque
• 2019 Chayanin Musikasinthorn, MD Gallup
• 2020-2021 Covid-19, no meeting
• 2023 Chayanin Musikasinthorn, MD Gallup resumes
  duty

Governors

• 1949-1958 Percy G. Comish Jr., MD, Albuquerque
• 1958-1967 Wallace E. Nissen, MD, Albuquerque
• 1967-1970 John F. Boyd, MD, Albuquerque
• 1970-1976 William W.Kridelbaugh, MD, Albuquerque
• 1976-1982 Samuel E. Neff, MD, Clovis
• 1982-1988 Percy G. Comish III, MD, Albuquerque
• 1988-1994 Ole A. Peloso, MD, Albuquerque
• 1994-2000 Brian G. Miscall, MD, Albuquerque
• 2000-2006 Stephen Haynes, MD, Clovis
• 2006-2012 Albert Kwan, MD, Clovis
• 2012-2015 Anthony Vigil, MD, Albuquerque
• 2015-2021 David Pitcher, MD Albuquerque
• 2021- Bridget Fahy, MD Albuquerque

Governors Representing Specialty Societies

• 1992-1998 Gloria E. Sarto, MD, Albuquerque, Obstetrics/Gynecology
• 1993-1999 Elward L. Johnson, MD, Albuquerque, Urology
• 1999 -2002 Donald E. Fry, MD, Albuquerque, SIS: Surgical Infection Society

Regents

• 1984-1993 William W. Kridelbaugh, MD, Albuquerque

Officers

• 1995-1996 First Vice President William W. Kridelbaugh, MD, Albuquerque