This presentation consists of a description of the birth and evolution of surface science as an interdisciplinary research area. It provides an overview of the themes developed in the Surface Science section of the AVS 50th anniversary issue of The Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology (JVST). The history of Surface science can be traced in terms of four waves of innovation [see e.g., C. B. Duke, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 100, 3858 (2003)]. It was born in the mid 1960s based on the combination of ultra high vacuum technology, the recognition that "low energy" (500 eV) electrons exhibit inelastic collision mean free paths of atomic dimensions, and the commercial availability of single-crystal samples. The founding in 1964 of JVST and Surface Science marks this event. During the 1970s through the turn of the century the evolution surface science was strongly influenced by the microelectronics revolution that in turn was profoundly impacted by the evolving surface analytical capabilities. In the 1980s scanning probe microscopy was invented. It blossomed in the 1990s, launching a new era of digital imaging in surface science. Today, the frontiers of surface science are increasingly in its applications to characterize complex systems, including solid-liquid interfaces and fragile biological systems. Descriptions of these are taken from C. B. Duke and E. Ward Plummer, eds. "Frontiers in Surface and Interface Science", Surf. Sci. 500 (2002). In this presentation I trace the evolution of surface science through these four eras of its evolution with emphasis on how AVS has been instrumental in shaping each era.