"Dr. C. Everett Koop graduated from Dartmouth College and received his M.D. degree from Cornell al College. He received the degree of Doctor of Science (Medicine) at the University of Pennsylvania, where hew was also named Professor of Pediatric Surgery, School of Medicine in 1959. He also became Professor of Pediatrics in 1971." (Shape Up 2000 1)
While this brief "biography" of Dr. Koop's early years are really only the beginning of his international "fame", it clearly shows that his interest in health, especially that of children, was always a foremost concern of his. It was really in 1981, when Ronald Reagan became President, that Dr. Koop's career changed. And, in his persistence to improve the health of America, he has become the leader (long after his terms as Surgeon-General were over) in creating the organizations and the publicity to ensure that citizens all over the world can find the stimulus to improve their habits which may cause serious illness.
He was first approached by several key for the Reagan presidency, and while he was asked about becoming surgeon-general (he was, after all, a stalwart Republican) he hesitated at first. His wife really helped him make his mind up. "You know you're going to be miserableànext year after you retireà.with someone else at the helm." (Koop 1991 4) So, Dr. Koop called Washington and "enthusiastically" accepted the job as Surgeon-General. "'Surgeon General' is a better-known title than positionàAfter the creation of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare in the early Fifties, the Surgeon General's position largely disappeared from sight except for the landmark 1964 report on the hazards of smoking and the ensuing requirement to print a warning on every cigarette package and advertisement." (Koop 1991 5) Dr. Koop was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Public Health Service, in March 1981, and sworn in as Surgeon General on November 17, 19...