Alfred Blalock, M.D., was a world-famous surgeon, teacher, and research scientist born in Culloden, Georgia, on April 5, 1899. He was educated at Georgia Military College, the University of Georgia, and Johns Hopkins Medical School, and completed his surgical training at Vanderbilt University, where he served as Professor of Surgery from 1928 to 1941. He was Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Johns Hopkins from 1941 to 1963. His research on traumatic shock led to saving many lives in World War II. On November 29, 1944, he performed the first 'blue baby' operation, an important success in the development of modern heart surgery. In 1947 he demonstrated this operation in England and in France. Recognized as a world leader in surgery, he was honored as president of many organizations, including the American Surgical Association, American College of Surgeons, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, Society of Clinical Surgery, and Society for Vascular Surgery. He was particularly proud of his election to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, but his proudest achievement was the large number of famous surgical teachers and investigators he taught and trained. He died in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 15, 1964.