Thank you, Jeff, for this introduction and the kind words. I feel extremely touched and grateful to all my wonderful students and younger colleagues who nominated me for the Clark Read Mentor Award and supported the nomination (Figure 1). I would like to especially thank Tyler Achatz and Jeffrey Bell for taking the lead in the process and finding time for that in their exceedingly busy schedules. As someone who did this several times, I know that it is not a trivial task, and these gentlemen have to teach more than most of us do. Thank you. I also thank the Awards committee for their selfless, time-consuming service to the Society.
Working with my students was and is a privilege and the greatest joy of my professional life. I consider this a shared award as without my students I would not be able to do much. Their support...