Edward George Sandrok, 1913-1967

Edward G. Sandrok was appointed Assistant Director and Comptroller of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in November 1951 and served in that capacity until his death in 1967. A Northwestern University graduate, he first came to the College in 1945 as Comptroller. Formerly, he had worked at Continental Illinois National Bank & Trust Company where he had served as its auditor and later senior investment analyst (1934-1945).

As manager of the ACS Clinical Congresses, Mr. Sandrok came to be considered one of the nation’s experts in professional convention management. He founded and was past president of the Professional Convention Management Association, an organization that assisted convention planners from the medical, dental, hospital, and allied health professions.

In 1966, he was honored with the ACS Distinguished Service Award, while he was the College’s Assistant Director for Business and Finance. The Distinguished Service Award is presented for outstanding leadership in College activities, and Mr. Sandrok was the first layperson to be so honored.

His tribute read, “Few have served the College with such ability, loyalty and devotion. As Comptroller, he has watched over our finances and has imprinted his mark of excellence upon our Clinical Congresses and Sectional Meetings. He has patiently undertaken an ever-increasing range of responsibilities. His attention to the most minute detail of administration is matched by an unerring capacity to forecast long-term needs and developments. His insistence upon superior performance is a constant incentive to all who are associated with him.”

During his ACS career, he was Secretary-Treasurer of Franklin H. Martin Memorial Foundation, a director of Evangelical Children’s Welfare Society and a member of the Medical Society Executive Association., the American Convention and Travel Institute and the Chicago Association of Commerce and Industry.

On November 25, 1966, he was honored by Radio Station WAIT as “Businessman of the Day” in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Chicago’s civic growth.

References

1. Staff biographical files
2. FACS Newsletter, August 1967

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