Mack Rogan, past president of the South African Knee and Arthroscopy Society, distinguished knee and orthopaedic surgeon, passed away in Johannesburg on 27 April 2019 at the age of 75. We will all suffer from the loss of this giant and pioneer of knee surgery in South Africa. Mack is left by his three loving children Francis, Theresa and Ruarri Rogan and his lifelong friend and wife Kathleen (Finegan) Rogan. Mack was extremely fortunate to have his entire family present and support him through his last days.
Mack has always excelled in every aspect of his life, and his schooling was no exception. His senior high school was Pretoria Boy’s High, and in his final year of school, he was head prefect. He passed his matriculation with distinction in 1961.
After he matriculated, he studied at the University of the Witwatersrand for his MB BCh degree in medicine. In his third year, he undertook to do a BSc majoring in microanatomy and biochemistry. He obtained his BSc in 1964 and completed his medical training at the University of the Witwatersrand qualifying as a medical doctor in 1968 with his MB BCh degree. In 1969, Mack did his housemanship under Prof D J du Plessis, who had a reputation for being a severe taskmaster.