Background: This manuscript is a tribute to James Forest Lind Sr., who died on October 22, 2010. He was a founding past president of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Surgeons and devoted his life to surgical gastroenterology and academic surgery.
Methods: This manuscript was prepared by reviewing his life with input from family, friends, and colleagues. It represents a compilation of a 50-year career in medicine with enormous contributions to gastrointestinal surgery and education.
Results: Jim Lind Sr. was born in Fillmore, Saskatchewan, Canada on November 22, 1925. He spent his formative years in Keewatin, Ontario, Canada. After graduating from high school, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force and then received his MD degree from Queens University. He went on to surgical internship at Hamilton General Hospital, followed by a surgical residency at Queens University. Following residency, he spent 2 years in England as a senior registrar and then completed a fellowship in gastrointestinal physiology at the Mayo Clinic. Jim Lind took his first academic appointment when he joined the faculty at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba. During his distinguished career in academic surgery, Jim Lind served as the chairman of surgery at three intuitions: the University of Manitoba, McMaster University, and Eastern Virginia Medical School.
Conclusions: James F. Lind Sr.'s legacy as a human being will be that he always pursued excellence in everything he did. He lived and breathed academic surgery and was passionate about surgical education. He will be missed by family, friends, and colleagues.