History of the Medical Center Alumni Society Hall of Honor
The Medical Center Alumni Society’s Hall of Honor, conceived as a permanent memorial, was unveiled during the University of Michigan Medical School Sesquicentennial Celebration in 2000. Seventy-six distinguished medical professionals were elected to initiate the Hall of Honor, with plans to elect additional honorees every five years.
The initial honorees were selected after an extensive review of the records and accomplishments of hundreds of remarkable men and women. Each honoree had ties to the University, the Hospital or the Medical School and had a profound influence on their specialized areas of interest and expertise.
The late George W. Morley (M.D. 1949, Residency 1954) chaired the first selection committee, and described the process as follows:
“The individuals chosen were to have made a significant contribution – not just scientific – to the field of medicine, here or elsewhere, some time during their professional lifetime…They had to have been associated with Michigan medicine as a graduate of the Medical school, a resident or fellow, a postdoctoral fellow and/or a faculty member of this University.” To earn a plaque in the Hall of Honor, Dr. Morley explained, a nominee had to be an outstanding scientific contributor, a superb educator or a highly regarded individual in a long leadership role.
Each of those prerequisites apply to Dr. Morley himself, who died in February 2005 after a distinguished 50-year career at the University of Michigan Medical School as a student, highly regarded physician and widely admired teacher. A plaque commemorating his enormous contributions to the University and his profession hangs among the 30 preeminent physicians, scientists and educators representing the 2006 additions to the Hall of Honor.
As a member of the first induction committee, Robert Bartlett (M.D. 1963) worked closely with Dr. Morley. In 2005 Dr. Bartlett chaired the second MCAS Hall of Honor committee to select the 2006 honorees.