Ralph Zaragoza, MD, FACS a founding member and past president of the SPSA and Chairman of the Traveling Fellow Program of the SPSA died on Dec. 17, 2021, below is one of the fitting tributes from the members and leaders of the SPSA, he will sorely be missed

I wish to pass on to the membership the sad news that a pillar of our Society and his Community, Dr. Rafael Zaragoza passed away this morning. A founding member and Past President of SPSA, he had a very impressive Professional career among which are: He served as Major, MC, US Army Medical Corp, Chief of Urology, Madigan Army Hospital; Chief, Urology Service, Chairman, Department of Surgery, President of Medical Staff and Member, Board of Trustees, Kent General Hospital, Dover, DE; Member, Board of Medical Practice, State of Delaware (amongst a very few Filipino-American Physicians) and recipient of the AMA Foundation Jack B. McConnell M.D. Award for Excellence in Volunteerism in 2016 for his work as Founder and President of Volunteer Ambulatory Surgical Access Program(VASAP), a coalition of volunteer physicians-surgeons and nurses that provide free surgery for the uninsured citizens of Kent County, Delaware since 1995 and Director of Hope Medical Clinic providing free medical care to the uninsured in Kent County and Co-founder of “Operation we Care”, an annual surgical and medical mission to various parts of the Philippines, since 1995. May He Rest In Peace. Please forward this information to the rest of the membership.

Hernan