The primary responsibility of the Senior Physiologists Committee is to contact members who reach their 70th, 80th, 90th, or 100th birthdays during the year. The letter of greeting includes an invitation to inform the membership of the APS about the whereabouts and activities of the senior physiologist. The invitation is usually open-ended, and is meant to encourage the senior physiologist to include historical and philosophical commentary. In 2003 a total of 179 individuals were contacted by members of the Committee; 27 response letters were printed in The Physiologist. Some of the recipients are members of the Committee.
Anecdotal evidence, insufficient for peer review in the Society's journals, attests to the popularity of the publication of these responses. The members of the Committee were asked a few years ago to survey the non-senior membership at their institutions about the popularity of the feature. Graduate students, fellows, and younger faculty reported that they read the letters regularly, and more senior faculty also report their delight at the many interesting stories the letters contain.
The Senior Physiologists Committee also reviews applications for the Senior Physiologists Award, a $500 grant named for G. Edgar Folk, Jr., which is designed to support the activities of a senior member.
Donald J. Marsh, Chair