come as no surprise that the present volume is dedicated to this great and gentle man. Nor will it come as a surprise that I have been asked to devote this Foreword to Richard D. Rowe, MD, pioneering neonatal cardiologist and incomparable personal friend. What can one say about Dick Rowe? Well, there are at least two very different tales. There is Dick Rowe the public man -the factual account of Dick Rowe's achievements as a physician, educator, and research man - the Dick Rowe that virtually "everyone" knows. And then there is Dick Rowe the private man -the extraordinary human being­ who only his personal friends were privileged to know. I shall try to tell something of both stories. First, the public man - the factual account - is really quite amazing.