July 21, 2011 – Harford County, Maryland – It is with great sadness to let you know of the passing of Dr. William J. Sacco. Bill passed yesterday morning at his home with his family.
Dr. Sacco was a pioneer in trauma registry research, making key contributions to the development of trauma severity scores with applications to patient triage, tracking, and outcomes evaluation, from the earliest days of trauma registries. Dr. Sacco was a co-developer of TRISS, a chief research consultant for the American College of Surgeons Major Trauma Outcome Study, and a prolific author, writing over fifteen books and two hundred papers in the fields of trauma analysis, research, and applied mathematics.
In 1999, Dr. Sacco was named an Honorary Fellow of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) for his lifetime contributions to the field of trauma research and outcomes evaluation. In 2004, the Dr. William J. Sacco Award was initiated in Bill’s honor by Digital Innovation, to provide annual scholarships to graduating high school seniors who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of applied mathematics and critical thinking. Bill was a lifelong educator, successful business founder, and a valued mentor of countless individuals.
Bill has touched many lives — bringing a boundless amount of joy, energy, optimism, and positive spirit into every activity, personally and professionally. Other information may be forthcoming from the family, but my understanding is that there will likely not be a memorial or funeral service, per Bill’s wishes. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bill’s family as they go through these sad times.
As another note of information, I and a number of Bill’s many other proteges will be honoring Bill through the establishment of the William J. Sacco Critical Thinking Foundation. This initiative will provide a tangible and lasting legacy of Bill’s passion for inspiring, educating, and mentoring youth in the fields of applied mathematics. I feel blessed to know, that Bill is aware of these plans — as I was fortunate enough to let him know of them recently.
Again, our thoughts and prayers go out for the loss of a truly unique and wonderful man.
– John
John F. Kutcher, Ph.D.
410-688-0558 cell
410-838-4034 x258