American surgery lost one of its brightest stars with the death of Samuel R. Powers, Jr, MD, on March 27, 1980. At the time of his death, Dr Powers was professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery of the Albany (NY) Medical College of Union University and surgeon-in-chief of the Albany Medical Center Hospital. He had held these appointments since July 1, 1974, and in the six years of his tenure he had served with distinction. The growth and development of the department under his leadership was appreciated not only by his associates in Albany, but by his peers throughout the country.
A native of Minneapolis, Sam was raised in New York City where his father was a professor at the Teachers College of Columbia University. He received his bachelor of arts degree from Swarthmore College in 1941, and his doctorate in medicine from Columbia University in 1945. He