It is easy to forget the privilege and honor of being a urologist. For most of us, performing surgery is more enjoyable than any hobby. People trust us with their care and their most private information. Our community places us in a position of respect, and we get paid for the privilege!

Many in our profession lose sight of this. Not John. Observing him—initially from afar and more recently as a fellow editor of an AUA journal—over at least 3 decades, I can tell he understands the privilege to his core. And while many urological leaders have a reputation focused on clinical, scholarly, or leadership capabilities, John excels in all three. But what really stands out about John is that he seems to truly value our specialty. Just watch him at the meetings, where he seems to be in multiple sessions simultaneously. Watch him foster excellence in our specialty through his scholarship and AUA leadership. And watch him do all those with the dignity of a senior statesperson.

As such, it comes as no surprise that he carries forward the responsibilities of Secretary of the AUA like a “keeper” of the specialty. As part of that, he has taken AUANews to new heights as a member of the AUA publishing family—the “voice of urology.” It is a privilege to work beside him as editor of Urology Practice^®, where we routinely share thoughts and recommend content to the appropriate platform depending on the material. Between these 2 publications, The Journal of Urology^®, and JU Open Plus, almost any author has a platform for publishing interesting materials. Our specialty is the beneficiary.

As a small example of John’s commitment, the only time I’ve ever heard him complain is when he DOESN’T get invited to review manuscripts from the other AUA journals. Whereas most of us might savor the respite based on how busy we all are, John feels an obligation to our society and to our specialty that I have to admire.

Imagine how rewarding our specialty can be if we all follow John’s lead.