Richard Skalak (1923-1997) played a leadership role in the formative decades of the discipline of biomedical engineering through his technical contributions in biomechanics, his educational influence on students, and his service to many developing societies and journals. But always, the distinguishing marks of his involvement with any activity or person were his generosity, respect and tolerance for others, integrity, and curiosity. These very qualities are what first brought him as a traditional engineering trained in engineering mechanics into the young field of biomedical engineering in the 1960s, and they are what led him to new approaches to cellular and molecular engineering, tissue engineering, and orthopedic biomechanics. His technical papers and lectures on blood cell mechanics, pulmonary circulation, dental implants, and tissue growth were models of clarity and often pointed the way to new areas of exploration, while his personal writings offer advice on life, academic organizations, and the pursuit of significant work. He would be deeply appreciative that this first volume of the Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering is dedicated to his memory.