Dr. Mark M. Melendez, who practices plastic surgery in Connecticut, in June was honored at our graduation ceremony with the 2018 Department of Surgery Legacy Award for his generous contribution of the Esther Rentas Resident Research Grant. Established in 2010 by Dr. Melendez in memory of his grandmother, this grant award helps our general surgery residents to pursue basic and clinical surgical research. It is given annually to a resident who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to research, as had Dr. Melendez himself when a resident here (he did two extra years on a research fellowship supported by the National Institutes of Health).