Abstract
The first officially recognized otolaryngology resident at Mayo Clinic started training in 1908. In the following years, the residency program evolved through emerging national standards and regulations for medical education, declining and resurgent interest in the specialty, and radical changes in otolaryngology as a practice. This article details the growth of the Mayo Clinic otolaryngology residency program, often in the words of the pioneering physicians involved in the process, from "filler-ins" for the staff to today's nationally recognized program.