The Southern Association for Vascular Surgery (SAVS) is a regional group within the national organization, the Society for Vascular Surgery; their aim is to "promote the art and science of peripheral vascular surgery, to further education, and to perpetuate friendships of its selected members." John Foster is credited with the original idea, which he presented in 1975 to vascular surgeons from the southern region at an international meeting in Hot Springs, Virginia. A year later he and 18 additional founding members came together to organize the association. The first meeting was held on February 4th and 5th, 1977, at the Indes Inn in Duck Hey, Florida. The association began with 58 members. As of 2018 over 500 active, senior, candidate, honorary, and corresponding members belong to the organization, primarily from the 13 southern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington DC. At each annual meeting the president invites a Distinguished Guest Lecturer, members present free papers and case reports, and annual awards are presented, including for the best essay and traveling fellowships.