Abstract
Friends,
It is with mixed emotion that I pen this short letter to you, members of the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American Society of Craniofacial Surgeons, and all the readers of FACE around the globe. My original intention with this exhortation to such a cherished community was to express my profound sense of joy, honor, and humility at your confidence in allowing me to take up the mantle of President of the ASMS in 2024. As my dear friend and mentor Don Mackay said at our annual business meeting at PSTM 2023, the ASMS has been his “professional home” for as long as he can remember. I echo that sentiment even louder. The ASMS has provided me with some of the most meaningful personal, educational, and entertaining moments of my professional career. To stand as its temporary leader is still something of a dream come true.
The second sentiment over the holiday season has been an intense sense of gratitude. I am incredibly thankful for all the friends, colleagues, and mentors who have supported me through good times and bad—both personal and professional—over the past 2 decades. From our Immediate Past President Joe Losee to my Craniofacial Fellowship mentor Henry Kawamoto—one of the ASMS’ most illustrious Past Presidents, and everyone in between—I know I am privileged to stand on the shoulders of giants.
Which brings me to the third and most difficult set of feelings I have been navigating since December 26: a combination of profound sorrow, deep loss, grief, and regret at the passing of S. Anthony Wolfe, known by so many across the globe as “Tony.” When we speak of giants upon whose shoulders we stand, I think many of us recognize that beyond the giants are the titans—those who gave birth to the giants—without whose leadership, vision, passion, and brilliance our giants would never have existed. Tony was one of these, and perhaps one of the few remaining giant titans in our midst. I have been moved by the international outpouring of love for Tony over the past 2 weeks. Nobody is more deserving. Yes, we can measure Tony’s contributions by the number of published manuscripts, the innumerable presentations and lectures, the thousands of children upon whom he operated and the lasting impact he made on their lives and the lives of their families—but what those individual contributions, like single planted trees, fail to capture is the broad expanse of the forest that Tony nurtured during his years among us. He created paths in the forest through which all of us have walked—whether we realize it or not. The regrets I have are that I did not walk those paths often enough and I did not walk them with him as often as I wished. My heart is with Tony’s family and friends and to all of you, all of us, who have lost such an indomitable figure from our lives.
I wish all of you Peace and Happiness in the New Year.