To the Editor: It has been my good fortune to know John Talbott for 40 years. He has been a great contributor to our field, especially in regard to patients served in the public sector. His contributions have made a huge impact on the way patients are cared for and cared about. John brings many personal qualities to any encounter. He is intelligent, slightly irreverent, with a wonderful sense of humor. Perhaps his greatest asset is his wife Sue. I will miss his steady hand at the journal, but I will look forward to seeing him in different places, perhaps even on the streets of Paris.