Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall Jr.: Surgical Pioneer

Published: Oct. 9, 2006, 2:23 p.m.

b"Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall Jr., 76, credits his rise to the top of the medical profession to hard work and the help of others. He grew up in the segregated South before graduating from Howard University's medical school in 1952. He went on to specialize in cancer surgery and became the first black president of the American Cancer Society in 1978 among other firsts."