Ronald L. Linscheid MD (Fig. 1) died after a long battle with Alzheimers on June 10, 2012. He is survived by his wife, Carol of 59 years, their five children — Kay, Kurt, Eric, Gretchen, and Hope, as well as his sister, Marcelene. Fig. 1 Linscheid (left) is survived by his wife, Carol (right) of 59 years, their five children — Kay, Kurt, Eric, Gretchen, and Hope and his sister, Marcelene. A longstanding member of the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons®, Linscheid served as its president at the Toronto meeting in 1979, and was a regular attending member, often making provocative presentations. He was an avid writer in his field, and by the end of his career he had authored or coauthored more than 300 articles in peer-reviewed publications. Along with James H. Dobyns MD and two other coauthors, Linscheid published a major article on wrist mechanics in 1972 [2] that was a landmark work in hand surgery. The paper was a major transformational concept that directed hand surgeons’ attention to deeper thinking about the wrist, both in terms of mechanics and treatment alternatives. A watershed article, it spawned such organizations as the International Wrist Investigators Workshop, and much of the research work that followed for 30 years. The long-time collaboration of Linscheid and Dobyns resulted in a major contribution to the department of orthopaedic surgery of the Mayo Clinic. It was a perfect union of professionalism and friendship. Together, they formed the division of hand surgery, bonding orthopaedic surgery and plastic surgery, and thus breaking invisible barriers. Whether in the clinics or the operating rooms, Linscheid and Dobyns performed, taught, and carried out many substantive investigations. Both being unaffected, generous people, they were the exceptional kind of leaders who are willing to listen as well as to talk. According to his obituary in The Journal of Hand Surgery, Linscheid retired from clinical practice in 1993, but continued to stay involved in clinical conferences. He chaired the Division of Hand Surgery at the Mayo Clinic for two decades, before being named Emeritus Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery [1]. Linscheid earned a list of national and international titles, including President of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, member of the Board of Trustees of the Western Trauma Association and the American Orthopaedic Association, as well as numerous editorial and advisory positions in professional organizations, societies, industry, and the armed forces, according to his obituary in the Journal of Hand Surgery. Linscheid was also designated as a Pioneer in Hand Surgery by the International Federation of Societies of Surgery of the Hand, considered the highest honor of that organization [1]. Ronald Linscheid showed that scholarship and academic prowess could be achieved with grace and balance, with friends and family, and with true admiration from ones’ peers who realize that a decent human being can make a difference.