diff --git a/src/libCom/ellLib/ellLib.c b/src/libCom/ellLib/ellLib.c
index 12a12ed4c..be1632079 100644
--- a/src/libCom/ellLib/ellLib.c
+++ b/src/libCom/ellLib/ellLib.c
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 * Copyright (c) 2002 The Regents of the University of California, as
 *     Operator of Los Alamos National Laboratory.
 * EPICS BASE is distributed subject to a Software License Agreement found
-* in file LICENSE that is included with this distribution. 
+* in file LICENSE that is included with this distribution.
 \*************************************************************************/
 /* $Revision-Id$
  *
@@ -155,6 +155,21 @@ ELLNODE * ellGet (ELLLIST *pList)
 
     return pnode;
 }
+/****************************************************************************
+*
+* This function returns the last node in the specified list.  The node is
+* removed from the list.  If the list is empty, NULL will be returned.
+*
+*****************************************************************************/
+ELLNODE * ellPop (ELLLIST *pList)
+{
+   ELLNODE *pnode = pList->node.previous;
+
+   if (pnode != NULL)
+       ellDelete(pList, pnode);
+
+   return pnode;
+}
 /****************************************************************************
  *
  * This function inserts the specified node pNode after pPrev in the list
@@ -185,7 +200,7 @@ void ellInsert (ELLLIST *plist, ELLNODE *pPrev, ELLNODE *pNode)
 }
 /****************************************************************************
  *
- * This function returns the nodeNum'th element in pList.  If there is no 
+ * This function returns the nodeNum'th element in pList.  If there is no
  * nodeNum'th node in the list, NULL will be returned.
  *
  *****************************************************************************/
diff --git a/src/libCom/ellLib/ellLib.h b/src/libCom/ellLib/ellLib.h
index d855a552f..3bc167a41 100644
--- a/src/libCom/ellLib/ellLib.h
+++ b/src/libCom/ellLib/ellLib.h
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 * Copyright (c) 2002 The Regents of the University of California, as
 *     Operator of Los Alamos National Laboratory.
 * EPICS BASE is distributed subject to a Software License Agreement found
-* in file LICENSE that is included with this distribution. 
+* in file LICENSE that is included with this distribution.
 \*************************************************************************/
 /* $Revision-Id$
  *
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ epicsShareFunc void ellConcat (ELLLIST *pDstList, ELLLIST *pAddList);
 epicsShareFunc void ellDelete (ELLLIST *pList, ELLNODE *pNode);
 epicsShareFunc void ellExtract (ELLLIST *pSrcList, ELLNODE *pStartNode, ELLNODE *pEndNode, ELLLIST *pDstList);
 epicsShareFunc ELLNODE * ellGet (ELLLIST *pList);
+epicsShareFunc ELLNODE * ellPop (ELLLIST *pList);
 epicsShareFunc void ellInsert (ELLLIST *plist, ELLNODE *pPrev, ELLNODE *pNode);
 epicsShareFunc ELLNODE * ellNth (ELLLIST *pList, int nodeNum);
 epicsShareFunc ELLNODE * ellNStep (ELLNODE *pNode, int nStep);