Figure 1. AUA New Orleans 2022: Dr John Denstedt (Secretary General AUA) and Dr Alejandro R. Rodríguez (Secretary General CAU).

Figure 2. CAU Buenos Aires 2019: Dr John Denstedt and Dr Alejandro R. Rodríguez.

Figure 3. Sociedad Peruana de Urología Congress—Cuzco, Peru 2018: Dr John Denstedt, Dr Jose Karam, Dr Hendrick Van Poppel, Dr Simon Tanguay, and Dr Alejandro R. Rodríguez.

In 2013, the 65th Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Section of the AUA was held in Saratoga Springs, New York. It was my first year in upstate New York and my first meeting in this section since I had transferred from the Southeastern Section. For those who have never transferred sections, I can tell you that it is tough to start all over again and meet new colleagues. During that same meeting, I was one of the last ones to climb onto a bus that was taking us to a social night event. The bus was full; however, all of the sudden, a friendly colleague moved toward the window seat and offered me the only seat left in that bus. Then, he said, “Nice to meet you. I am John Denstedt.” I had read his publications but had never met him in person. There he was, “the legend.” That bus ride to the event was a real great one. We got to know each other for the first time. Who would have guessed that many years later, he would become the Secretary General of the AUA and I would become the Secretary General of the Confederación Americana de Urología (CAU).

In 2019, I had the great honor of becoming the Editor of AUANews in Spanish. Since then, we have worked together and made this educational online tool the most read by CAU members on a monthly basis. During the 2 hard years of the pandemic, his leadership and friendship strengthened even more academic collaborations between the AUA and the CAU. The CAU held 2 successful virtual congressional seminars (CAU Guayaquil 2020 and CAU Peru 2021), a result of his support and AUA’s academic collaboration. During those 2 years, he attended every webinar or virtual congress of the national societies affiliated with CAU. Once he was connected, we could chat or see him “Live” and talk to him. Finally, one great quality that Dr Denstedt has is when he is invited to an in-person meeting, he is there from beginning to end. I have to say that this is highly respected in the CAU region. He is an available and approachable leader. In October of 2020, I had the privilege of giving Professor John Denstedt the “Honorary Membership Award” of the CAU—a recognition he very well deserved because of his endless contributions to continue medical education in urology in Latin America.

Finally, I would say that to be a true gentleman in the 21st century is a joyful thing to aspire to. After all, a gentleman embodies all the very best qualities a man can strive to possess: courtesy, respect, kindness, a firm handshake, and a great many other traits. As philosopher Confucius once said, “A gentleman would be ashamed should his deeds not match his words.” This quote emphasizes the ultimate importance of actions over words. Professor John Denstedt is a true gentleman. Thank you, John, for all your actions!