Dr. Frank Edward Whitacre served as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt from 1953 until 1961 when he became chief of obstetrics and gynecology service at Nashville General Hospital. He was born October 9, 1897 in Wisconsin, and earned both his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Iowa, the latter being awarded in 1926. He completed internship and residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at several institutions including the University of Illinois, the Chicago Lying-in Hospital, and the University of Chicago. He held faculty and staff positions at several schools including the University of Leipzig, and the Institute of Pathology at the University of Berlin, Peiping Union Medical College in Peking, China, and the College of Medicine of the University of the Philippines. Prior to his appointment at Vanderbilt, he served as professor and head of the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Tennessee from 1945 to 1953. He published over 50 articles, and received numerous recognitions and awards from a number of professional societies of which he was a member. Retiring from his active positions at both Vanderbilt and Nashville General Hospital in 1966, he died in Nashville in June 1971.