On my flight home from Holland, I’m reflecting on 2 days spent visiting my friend and colleague Ton Hoek, General Secretary of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), to participate in his decoration ceremony.

Joining me from the United States was my APhA predecessor John Gans. Ton has been facing some health challenges, so when John and I arrived, we were greeted especially warmly by Ton’s family and friends.

The ceremony was held at the Newport Hotel in Ton’s home village of Huizen, near Amsterdam. The mayor of the village opened with generous remarks and then, on behalf of the Queen of the Netherlands, bestowed the Officer in the Order of the Orange-Nassau decoration on Ton. This award is one of the highest honors a Dutchman can receive from his government, and was bestowed based on his work with the World Health Organization (WHO) on behalf of pharmacy. In attendance were about 120 of the important people in Ton’s life, including all of his family, friends, staff, and FIP notables from Denmark, Wales, the United Kingdom, Holland, and the United States.

Four of us made remarks following the mayor. I shared the observation that Ton’s quiet leadership style had transformed FIP over the last decade into an important worldwide force for enhanced pharmacy services with a strong WHO relationship. I carried greetings and good wishes from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, APhA, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and then presented a joint letter from our four organizations and a Resolution adopted by the APhA Board of Trustees. Ton was visibly moved by our gestures.

When our remarks were complete, Ton walked to the stage and began about 45 minutes of wonderful, one-way conversation with the audience. He was so gracious with his recognition of each attendee’s role in his life as he recalled memories with so many in the room. The time flew by, and no one wanted it to end. After the formal ceremony, we all adjourned for a wonderful reception and dinner in the hotel.

The following day, Dr. Dick Tromp, PharmD, PhD, FFIP, Community Pharmacist Specialist and owner of Flevowijk Pharmacy in Kampen, the Netherlands, was kind enough to collect John and me for a tour of pharmacies, dikes, and seaside towns. Pharmacy practice is quite collaborative in Holland, as evidenced by the information systems and physician engagement. I was fascinated with the country’s monumental engineering feats of reclaiming large tracts of land from the sea about 20 years ago with an elaborate system of locks and dams, thus creating the “old” and the “new” lands and creating freshwater lakes from the North Sea.

Later in the day, Ton’s wife picked up John and me to share dinner and a visit at their home. We spent hours sharing stories, a glass or two of Chateau Neuf Du Pape, and life philosophies while enjoying a fine dinner prepared by Ton’s son and his son’s girlfriend. I confess that it was difficult to leave at the end of the evening. But it was important for us to be there for his celebration and to share an evening of camaraderie we’ll never forget.