STANLEY M. BLAUGRUND, MD

Thank you very much, Dr Gates, for that kind introduction. Mr President, Fellows and Guests: I am overwhelmed by this great honor. It is truly awesome to think that I will be included among the distinguished individuals who have received this award in the past. It is also very gratifying to me that the work that we have done in association with the Ames Vocal Dynamics Laboratory at Lenox Hill Hospital has been recognized in this way. I wish to thank Lenox Hill Hospital for supporting the Laboratory, and Mr Steven Ames, trustee of the Harriet Ames Charitable Trust, for providing the wherewithal to modernize and refurbish it. I also thank my research associates and colleagues from the University of Kyoto for their dedication and expertise in this field. It could not have happened without them, nor without the enthusiasm for voice science of Dr Wilbur J. Gould, who established the Laboratory in the early 1970s.

When I joined the staff of Lenox Hill Hospital as director of otolaryngology in 1980, my expertise and my interest in the larynx centered primarily with conservation surgery for carcinoma. Admittedly, my knowledge of the field of voice science was limited. It was Dr Gould who aroused my curiosity and introduced me to the field and showed me what a magnificent organ the larynx truly is. One night at the opera will convince anyone of that! I will ever be grateful to Dr Gould, Dr Fredrick Brodnitz, Dr Hans von Leden, Dr Ingo Titze, and Dr Nobuhiko Isshiki and the many others who have made voice science and care of the professional voice a large part of their life's work. I proudly accept this distinguished award in their honor. Thank you very much again.