The June 29 investiture ceremony at the Memorial Learning Center in Springfield recognized three faculty leaders whose careers have shaped surgery, plastic surgery and emergency medicine across central and southern Illinois. Dr. Michael Neumeister was invested as the J. Roland Folse, MD, Endowed Chair of Surgery. Dr. Nicole Sommer became the Elvin G. Zook, MD, Endowed Chair of Plastic Surgery. Dr. James Waymack was invested as the David L. Griffen, MD, PhD, Endowed Chair of Emergency Medicine.
The chairs are supported through endowments held at the Memorial Foundation, with investments from Memorial Health, colleagues, patients, friends and community members in the future of academic medicine.
While the evening celebrated the future, many speakers credited the leaders whose vision laid a foundation for success, tracing the honorees’ achievements to the physicians who built SIU School of Medicine more than 50 years ago.
Founding Dean Dr. Richard Moy recruited department chairs willing to leave established careers for the uncertainty of creating a new medical school in Springfield. Among them were Dr. J. Roland Folse, who developed a nationally respected Department of Surgery, and Dr. Elvin G. Zook, whose innovations in plastic surgery and resident education influenced generations of surgeons. Years later, Dr. David L. Griffen established SIU’s Department of Emergency Medicine, extending that same culture of academic medicine into one of the nation’s newest specialties.
The institution they built was reflected as much in the stories shared as in the honors presented.
Introducing Neumeister, Folse drew laughter when he credited the longtime surgeon not only for leading the department but also for “keeping me going” as his personal physician. The lighthearted remark underscored a friendship forged over decades of shared work and mutual respect.
Former faculty member Dr. Robert Russell recalled the early years of SIU’s Institute for Plastic Surgery, where innovation was expected and scholarship was considered an obligation. Under Zook’s leadership, faculty were challenged to publish, teach, present nationally and give back to the profession. That philosophy helped produce an extraordinary number of graduates who later became presidents of national surgical societies.
Rather than recite Neumeister’s curriculum vitae, friend and colleague Dr. Brad Schwartz described the person behind the accomplishments: a hockey player, sailor, humanitarian, musician, husband, father and grandfather.
Neumeister turned attention back to Folse, recalling how he accepted Richard Moy’s invitation to build SIU’s Department of Surgery before recruiting an extraordinary group of founding division chiefs – including Zook, David Sumner and Alan Birtch – who transformed Springfield into a destination for surgical education.
“We are the home of surgical education because of the pioneering work of Dr. Roland Folse,” Neumeister said.
If Neumeister’s investiture celebrated mentorship, Sommer’s celebrated legacy.
Sommer became the holder of the endowed chair established in honor of her father, Dr. Elvin G. Zook.
Her sister, Dr. Tara Bennett, recalled the family’s move to Springfield in 1973 after someone questioned why her father would leave Indiana University for a place where “there was nothing.”
“Exactly,” Zook replied. “I’m going to build something great.”
Over three decades, Zook created one of the nation’s premier plastic surgery training programs while helping establish the academic culture that still defines SIU School of Medicine. Bennett said that, despite his remarkable professional achievements, her father considered the residents he trained as his greatest legacy.
Sommer has built an equally distinguished career as a surgeon, educator, researcher and national leader. Accepting the endowed chair bearing her father’s name, she pledged to honor his vision by continuing to support resident education and research through the endowment.
The final investiture demonstrated that SIU’s culture now extends well beyond its founding departments.
Waymack entered the school’s inaugural emergency medicine residency class 16 years ago. His mentors described an Eagle Scout whose quiet preparation, work ethic and integrity steadily carried him from resident to chief resident, faculty member, residency director and department chair.
“Ultimately,” Waymack said, “we will not be measured by our academic accomplishments. We’ll be measured by the people we serve – the students we inspire, the residents we train, the faculty we develop and, most importantly, the outcomes of the patients who come to us in their time of need.”
His words captured the spirit of an evening of celebration and affirmation.
This article appears in August SBJ 2026.