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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2001;19:3
© 2001 Elsevier Science NL

Editorial

Secretary General's thanks to the departing Editor-in-Chief

The first time I met you was in Zürich some time in the early seventies. I had completed my thesis and my chief sent me on a visit to ke Senning, your chief by that time. ke was one of the real leaders in early cardio-thoracic surgery who had a keen interest in research and development as well as in education. ke showed me the wonders of the Zürich Clinic and introduced me to you as one of the coming young men in cardio-thoracic surgery.

And indeed you were. At ke's retirement you were already a well-known figure in cardio-thoracic surgery. You were appointed chief of surgery as ke's successor in Zürich and with this post as a basis, you have largely contributed to the development of European and International Cardio-thoracic surgery. Apart from the clinical research that you have always found time to do, a great achievement was to be one of the founding fathers of the EACTS. Together with several other great names you felt that there was a need for a true European Association in our field. The EACTS was founded in 1986. You helped in forming our eminent Constitution and were appointed its first General Secretary. The first Annual Meeting in Vienna was held in 1987. It may be interesting for everybody to know that these initial forming years of our Association were made at considerable personal and financial sacrifice for all the founding fathers. They had a vision and were ready to go through water and fire in order to fulfil that vision. It is a marvel to me that the Association has been able to retain that initial feeling of going forward, of changing for the better, of generosity and altruism. And it is in this environment that I know you best. I had been elected Councillor and was introduced to the Council consisting of among others Ramiro Revira as President, you as Secretary General, Hans Borst as Editor, Armand Piwnica, etc. I was appointed General Secretary in 1993 as your successor and you came back to the Council as Editor in 1993.

The European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery had had Hans Borst as its first Editor. Hans had made a fantastic job and established the Journal firmly as one of the major ones in our field. However, we did not feel that the support of our then publisher was of a quality that allowed the Journal to develop freely. The decision to go to another publisher was not an easy one. In retrospect, this was one of your first major moves with the Journal, to take it to a new publisher in order to give it more nourishment. Another major move was to engage Ian Beecroft, and a third to go to electronic reviewing and publishing.

Your results with the Journal speak for themselves. It is now one of the three leading ones. A friendly co-operation has been established with our sister journals in the US. The platform which you hand over to Ludwig von Segesser is stable and has great future potentials. You can look back at your time as editor as work well done!

In our working relationships, I have always been impressed by the keen interest you have always shown Association matters. Your speed with which you can grasp a complex situation and bring it to some kind of order is admirable. You are one of the best responders: if I send an e-mail with a question or request, your response is there quickly, accurately and to the point. You have a cunning instinct in deciding whether the issue is about factual things or whether it is about personalities. And your integrity is admirable. You do not hesitate to voice your opinion and make difficult decisions, an asset indispensable in the very difficult job of editorship.

You have accepted the vice Presidentship of the EACTS, so we are not going to lose you in the Council. Indeed, you are now free to devote your time to the Association as a whole. It will be interesting to see what you will make of your Presidency. There is yet another challenge!

It is said that behind every successful man, there stands a surprised women. And the picture of you would not be complete without saying thank you to your life's companion. Helga has not only supported you but has been a keen supporter of the EACTS and the Journal in various capacities. The Association owes her a lot and I pay tribute to a great lady and a good friend.

Torkel berg

Secretary General EACTS

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