Emmet H. (Emmet Hawkins) Rixford

Born in 1865 in Bedford, Quebec, Emmet Rixford built his career in California, earning a B.S. from the University of California in 1887 and an M.D. from Cooper Medical College in 1891. He went on to become a leading surgeon in San Francisco and later a professor of surgery at Cooper Medical College, which became part of Stanford's medical program.

Rixford was closely connected with the growth of Stanford medicine. Stanford's Lane Medical Archives holds his papers, and contemporary records of the 1912 dedication of the Lane Medical Library show him as one of the featured speakers, reflecting his importance in the school's medical life. His surviving papers include correspondence, lectures, speeches, and writing on surgery, fractures, coccidioidal granuloma, and the history of medical education in California.

An obituary notice from 1938 remembered him as more than a surgeon: he was also praised as a leader in medical education, a rose grower, an amateur musician, and a committed citizen. He died in 1938, leaving behind a reputation for professional distinction and an unusually full personal life.