Vasilii I. Kolesov (1904-1992) was one of the pioneers of cardiovascular surgery. He is often referred to as the surgeon who performed the first successful coronary artery bypass operation. Kolesov was the first to successfully apply the suture technique to clinical coronary artery bypass surgery. He was also the first--and remains the only--surgeon to use coronary stapling clinically. Recent rapid development in robotic and video-assisted coronary surgery has revived interest in Kolesov's original work on coronary stapling and off-pump coronary surgery. However, little is known about the personality of Dr. Kolesov, his early work that led to his pioneering effort, and the circumstances under which his work was done.