This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/WUB.2ACI/1387.1 Message Board Post: A phrase in your query "Commissioner of the Hospital" doesn't sound right, but I'm willing to drop my objection in an effort to promote harmony on this message board. I checked the 1958 edition of the "American Medical Directory" and they spell his surname differently : Basil C. Maclean, born 1895, office in Manhattan. Using that birthyear, I checked the Social Security Death Index : http://ssdi.rootsweb.com They have Basil Maclean, born Dec. 24, 1895, died Feb. 1963. The names of his parents would be on the SS-5 form he filled out when applying for his Social Security card. If $27.00 is no problem, you can apply for a copy by clicking on "SS-5 Letter." The website says it takes several months to obtain a copy. If you decide to seek his obituary, I suggest you try The New York Times first---of the many daily and weekly newspapers published in New York City. Members of the NY Genealogical and Biographical Society have access to a special database of the Times. Reg Niles P.S. The 1951 "Medical Directory of New York State" has Basil Clarendon MacLEAN in Rochester, NY, as director of Strong Memorial Hospital. The 1954/1955 edition of "Social and Health Agencies of New York City," p. 231 shows Basil C. MacLEAN as commissioner of the Dept. of Hospitals, City of New York.