George Otto Gey was a pioneer in tissue culture, having introduced the roller drum, the HeLa cell line, and the use of human fetal cord serum and beef embryo extract. During his career (1920s–1960s), the field of tissue culture was in its infancy and not yet dependent upon commercial biological supply houses. While the early techniques of cell culture have been greatly improved upon, of historical interest may be personal observations of the Gey Tissue Culture Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Medical School, as recalled by a medical student working there in the 1950s. Dr. Gey served as a founding member and executive of the Tissue Culture Commission (TCC) and became the first president of the Tissue Culture Association (TCA).