The John W. Pender Living History of Anesthesiology Collection

is an oral history collection which provides insight and historical perspectives from pioneers who experienced and contributed to the history of their specialty. These interviews constitute an authentic record of the contemporary history of anesthesiology.

In 1966, Drs John J. Leahy and John W. Pender began a project of recording the living history of the specialty in the words of the men, who by their contributions, have helped to write that history. It was necessary to begin with a limited group and they selected past Presidents of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. Forty years later, the oral history collection has grown to almost 200 interviews.

Living History Interview Collection

ASA Newsletter article: Preservation of the WLM Living History Collection and Educational Films

National Library of Medicine’s Guide to Oral Histories in Medicine and the Health Sciences