On August 7, 1974, Virginia Apgar passed away at the age of 65. Virginia Apgar was an American obstetrical anesthesiologist, a nurse anesthetist and was one of the major figures in the fields of anesthesiology in the 20th century. She developed the Apgar score system to quickly assess the health of newborn babies. The Apgar score, which involves evaluating five different characteristics of a baby, was designed to identify babies in need of medical help and is now used worldwide in hospitals. Virginia Apgar was the first woman to become a professor at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, in 1949. She was also one of the first female full professors in the medical school. In addition to her innovation of the Apgar score, Virginia Apgar was the author of several publications in the field of anesthesiology, and worked to improve the care of babies born with cleft palate and other birth defects. She also helped to found the National Foundation of Infantile Paralysis (now the March of Dimes). Virginia Apgar was a driving force in the modernization of perinatal medicine and improved care for newborn babies. Her groundbreaking work will continue to have a lasting impact in years to come. She will be remembered fondly by all who knew her.