The Poncho has been a symbol of the presidency of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (ISPN) since Anthony Raimondi presented it to the Society in 1979.
At the time Dr Raimondi had embroidered the names of those who had serve as president of the Society to that time and subsequently requested "the poncho thereafter be passed from one president to the next, annually, to impart solemnity and add depth to the office."
During the presentation Dr Raimondi described the history of the poncho in his possession. In 1973 at a neuroradiology symposium held in Chicago in 1973 Drs. Carrea and Raimondi debated the merits of Dr Raimondi's Columbian ruana (or poncho) verse the Argentinean poncho of Dr Carrea's home country. Dr Carrea presented a poncho to Dr Raimondi at their next meeting a year later to underscore his side of the debate. Several years later the camaraderie between Drs Raimondi and Carrea deepened when President Raimondi was unable to attend the 1978 meeting in Jerusalem because of a family tragedy. Dr Carrea, the then President-Elect filled in for Dr Raimondi. Dr Raimondi was forced to return the favor the following year at the ISPN's meeting in Chicago, filing in as president because of Dr Carrea's untimely death. At that meeting Dr Raimondi presented the poncho to the society in remembrance of Dr Carrea asking that it become the symbol of the Society's Presidency in honor of Dr Carrea.
Every president since has received the poncho from the retiring president at a gala dinner to celebrate the passing of the office. The retiring president's duty has been to embroider the name of the incoming president on the poncho. As the years have gone by the poncho has filled with names. In 2002 then President Shizou Oi presented the Society with a second poncho so that the tradition could continue.
ISPN Presidents, nationalities and years
J. Rougerie (France) 1973-1974
K. Bushe (Germany) 1974-1975
S. Flood (Norway) 1975-1976
J. Ransohoff (USA) 1976-1977
A. J. Raimondi (USA) 1977-1978
R. Carrea (Argentina) 1978-1979
K. Till (UK) 1979-1980
L. Basauri (Chile) 1980-1981
M. Choux (France) 1981-1982
S. Matsumoto (Japan) 1982-1983
H. Hoffman (Canada) 1983-1984
K.H. Hovind (Norway) 1984-1985
D. Simpson (Australia) 1985-1986
L. Schut (USA) 1986-1987
J.F. Hirsch (France) 1987-1988
F.J. Epstein (USA) 1989-1990
F. Rueda Franco (Mexico) 1990-1991
C. Lapras (France) 1991-1992
K. Sato (Japan) 1992-1993
R. Humphreys (Canada) 1993-1994
C. Di Rocco (Italy) 1994-1995
S.N. Bhagwati (India) 1995-1996
D. McLone (USA) 1996-1997
A. Hockley (UK) 1997-1998
Joon Ki Kang (Korea) 1998-1999
H. Rekate (USA) 1999-2000
A. Pierre-Kahn (France) 2000-2001
J. Peter (S. Africa) 2001-2002
S. Oi ( Japan) 2002-2003
M. Walker (USA) 2003-2004
E.G. Ventureyra (Canada) 2004-2005
J.U.Choi (S. Korea) 2005-2006
C. Mazza (Italy) 2006-2007
R. Abbott (USA) 2007-2008
T.T. Wong (Taiwan) 2008-2009
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