To have been accorded the privilege of serving as your President for this past year has been a singular honor. My deep gratitude goes out to all who made that possible... my colleagues, my friends, and especially my family. Because this is, by tradition, a time when the speaker has a lot of latitude with his allotted time, I will take the time to single out a few colleagues and mentors for special mention. To my fellow Council members I give thanks for their advice and support during a year of change that has seen many events unfold. One of these, an historic event, will lead to a unification of The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the Research Foundation to which I will refer later. My thanks are due to my mentors and fellow Australians Mark Killingback and Neville Davis for the encouragement they gave in my early years, especially for their acting as role models for me and so many other surgeons. Thanks also are due to my teacher, the late Rupert Turnbull, who taught--rather, who revealed--the added dimension to which advanced colorectal surgery could be taken. To my other late mentor, Noel Newton, the best surgeon I have ever seen, I acknowledge not just his guidance, but also his unflagging commitment to teaching the art and craft of surgery during a quarter century to anyone and everyone who wanted to attend his Sunday morning teaching rounds. It was he who steered me to Dr. E. S. R. Hughes, who in turn fired my enthusiasm to seek specialized training in colon and rectal surgery. More than any others, these men have that marvelous ability to instill enthusiasm in their students.