It is difficult to describe all the wonderful qualities of Dr Denstedt. Although I cannot remember a time when I did not know of Dr Denstedt, the first personal interaction with him occurred in Mexico in 2017. We were both acting faculty at an international educational stone course. I can remember being so nervous and feeling like a total imposter. It seemed surreal to be eating breakfast and talking about the hotel electrical outage with the man who performed the first laser lithotripsy in humans. I tried to play it cool but know I was probably awkward. Over the course of the next 2 days we gave several lectures and I assisted him in a live surgery. He was clearly the more experienced educator, but he treated me as an equal and expected the other faculty to do the same. I distinctly remember how he calmly and kindly reacted to missing equipment during the live percutaneous stone surgery and I marveled at his ability to troubleshoot on the fly. I left the meeting with a newfound admiration and respect for a surgeon whom I already highly regarded as a master in his field.

Over the following years, I felt Dr Denstedt’s support from afar as I made difficult transitions in my career. Many of the opportunities afforded to me over the last 6 years were because of his continued encouragement and backing. I would not be where I am today without him. He had nothing to gain from supporting and encouraging me, but it meant everything to my career. So, to answer the question of the essay—what have I learned? I learned from Dr Denstedt that I want to be a builder. There are different ways to succeed. (1) You can work tirelessly alone and maybe achieve your goal. (2) You can step on those around you to get to the top, destroying those in your path. Or, (3) you can build and develop the people you come in contact with and measure your success by helping others. Throughout his career Dr Denstedt has lived his life by option 3—compassionately building others. I think it is safe to say it has served him well and he is one of the most successful individuals in our profession.

Thank you, Dr Denstedt, for all you have done for me and the many other urologists, students, and learners you have supported over the years. You have served your community with grace, compassion, and dignity. I will always regard you as not only a master of endourology, but also a leader among giants.