While all schools
possess pride in their alumni, Jefferson Medical College can point
with satisfaction to the achievements and accomplishments of its former
students. Through the years, the over 25,000 graduates of Jefferson
have spread their clinical knowledge across the United States and
throughout the world.
As the
following pages demonstrate, many alumni returned to Jefferson and
became part of the faculty. Jefferson graduates have also founded
medical schools, attended United States Presidents, established
new areas of study and specialization, served in every conflict
from the Civil War to Vietnam, and invented new techniques, machines,
and practices to further the study of medicine. In addition, alumni
have founded the Philadelphia Zoo, served as the last president
of the Republic of Texas, and become best-selling authors of fictional
works.
It is a close
knit group, held together by the Alumni Association of Jefferson
Medical College. Founded by Samuel D. Gross in 1870, he also became
the first president. Gross's ideals for the organization were related
in his 11 March 1871 address to the newly formed group:
"The
obligations of an institution and of its alumni are mutual. The
tree is judged by its fruit. If the one is decayed or rotten,
the other cannot be good or fit for use."
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