Today's News

Thursday, February 13, 1997

Welcome

by David S. aaosford, MD Annual Meeting, Local General Chairman

As your local host committee chairman, it is my pleasure to welcome to you the 64th Annual Meeting and to one of the finest places in the world-San Francisco.

California's first city has a rich history. The first American settlers came to San Francisco in 1835, but it was the California Gold Rush in 1848 which caused the population to jump to 25,000 residents in just three months. In 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed, and San Francisco became known as the "capital of the Pacific," serving as the West's major seaport and trading center.

It was during the second half of the 19th century that some of San Francisco's most famous products came into being. Levi Strauss saw the need for and developed sturdy workpants, now-known as "jeans;" Isidore Boudin, a French pastry cook brought his now famous sourdough bread to the city; and increased needs for local transportation on steep hills saw the birth of San Francisco's picturesque cable cars.

Areas such as Chinatown, North Beach, Telegraph Hill, Coit Tower and Nob Hill reflect the city's ties to the past, and in contrast, the nearby Silicon Valley shows San Francisco's connection to high technology and visions of the future. A center of educational excellence, the San Francisco area attracts students from across the country to Stanford University, University of California-San Francisco and Berkeley.

While in San Francisco, you can eat on Fisherman's Wharf or Pier 39, which boast the world's finest seafood, then treat yourself to Ghiradelli Italian chocolate or perhaps a fortune cookie, which was first developed here in 1894. Fine wines are available from vineyards in nearby Sonoma or Napa Valley, and you can view the Golden Gate Bridge, and yes, even Alcatraz, from the City by the Bay.

Visitors can experience architectural influences of the early Spanish missions that dotted the landscape between 1776 and 1821. Ornate Victorian row houses, with their Queen Anne, Italianate, Gothic Revival, and Eastlake styles also can be seen on the hills of San Francisco.

For sports enthusiasts, the San Francisco area has the Forty-Niners, the Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants, as well as individual recreational water sports, including sailing, fishing and surfing. Museum visitors may enjoy the Museum of Modern Art or the National Maritime Museum.

This Annual Meeting marks the seventh time that the Academy has selected San Francisco for its event. We are pleased to welcome back Academy fellows, spouses and guests to our hometown and hope you all have a wonderful time.