It is hard to find the words to express how much Janusz meant to me and my career. He made it a priority to serve as a mentor to me and many others during his long career. This is very rare in the US and I feel so fortunate that he was so generous with his time and expertise. Being able to work with Janusz, especially once we started the Photosciences Facility to conduct clinical studies, was a turning point in my career. I can honestly say the several years spent working on this team and collaborating with outside scientists from the NIH and around the world was the most satisfying part of my career. I first met Janusz in the mid-1980s, just a few years after I started working for the FDA in the Division of Physics. Since I was the one of the UV measurement experts in the Division of Physics, I was often asked to help out the photobiologists in the Division of Biology with their experiments. I was asked to take a ‘field trip’ with Janusz to Lori Kligman’s lab in Philadelphia (Univ. of PA) to make measurements of her high pressure long-wavelength (UVA) Sunlamp. Lori was studying the effects of UVA on skin damage in mice. I was very intimidated about taking this trip since I was a young engineer with only a Bachelor’s Degree, very green, and Janusz was an established scientist with both a PhD and a Dr. Sci.! I couldn’t imagine what we would talk about on the 2+ hr trip to Philadelphia. Vicki Hitchins tried to reassure me that Janusz was an extremely nice Polish gentleman who would regale me with lots of fascinating stories during our ride there. Well, Vicki couldn’t have been more right! Janusz was the epitome of the word ‘gentleman’. He told many interesting stories about his life and about life, in general, on our trip there and, I’m happy to say, on many other trips we took together after that. Thanks to this connection with Janusz and other photobiologists in the Division of Biology, I was introduced to the world of research. I found that I enjoyed doing research much more than doing typical engineering tasks. Janusz saved me from potential years of drudgery troubleshooting circuits and replacing transistors in our spectral measurement equipment! Many years later, Janusz got the inspiration to start a Human Study Facility at the FDA. This was to be a multi-disciplinary effort to involve the examination of biomarkers, color changes and mechanical changes in the skin after UV exposure. Janusz is truly a visionary! I can’t think of another person at FDA who would have the vision and chutzpah to embark on such an ambitious endeavor! This was unprecedented at a regulatory institution such as the FDA. I still can’t believe he pulled it off! The creation of the Photosciences Facility at FDA required a Herculean effort to pull together engineers, biologists, dermatologists and “Nurse Judy” to fulfill all the tasks required for our day-to-day operation. It’s amazing that Janusz knew exactly what was required considering he has never worked in a clinical setting in his life! (at least not to my knowledge, unless he has kept this a secret all these years!) It is impossible to sum up Janusz’s life here in such a small space but, suffice it to say that Janusz has had a huge impact on research at the FDA and has shown me what it means to be a mentor and successful team leader. I can honestly say that working with our team at the Photosciences Facility was the happiest time of my career! I know that all the other members of the team feel exactly the same way. I think this is solely due to Janusz’s expert leadership. I am honored to have been able to work with him for over 30 years and to call him my friend. He was a true Renaissance man and a unique individual who had many interests outside work. Looking back, I realize how naïve I was before we worked on our first collaboration – I didn’t see a fabulous opportunity when it was staring me in the face! I see how lucky I was to have been invited to take that trip to Philadelphia 30 years ago! Janusz and I have had many fabulous trips and adventures since then – I have lots of good memories of our times together! Thank you Janusz! With much love, Sharon