Abstract
This is a picture of Tony. It was taken on the coast of California outside Henry Kawamoto’s house in 1995. He is holding his daughter, Erin. For me this picture shows the Tony I remember.
Where to start—the beginning of a 35-year friendship began when Dr. Tessier first started operating with me in Charlotte. Along with Dr. Tessier came both Tony Wolfe and Henry Kawamoto. This started in 1986 and the last Tessier visit was in 1995. We had long hours in the operating room with late dinners. This was the beginning of a long and lifetime connection for all of us. Never did I realize at the beginning that this connection would include individual trips with Tony and the entire group.
Tony and I met in Paris to go through Tessier’s records after his retirement. But also, we traveled to Italy, Africa, England, and Brazil to operate or give talks. Tony was the historian for the group and made sure he would document Tessier’s hard work—he wanted to make sure the next generation had shoulders to stand on.
When Tony headed up the International Craniofacial meeting in Brazil, he asked me to assist him. But being Tony, he did it all. On the way back from Brazil, we had a plane change in Manaus, to catch an international flight back to Miami. If you remember, Tony always carries a leather shoulder bag. When going through security, this bag was searched, and his safety razor was confiscated—security said it was illegal to take a razor into the States. During the incident, you would have seen a very different Tony—like you may have seen at some meetings. The security guards eventually calmed down and we made the flight.
Independent, determined, caring like the photograph—his death leaves us with huge emptiness.