It is with a heavy heart that I learned of the sad demise of my dear friend Victor, affectionately called TARRA by those of us who have known him since our secondary school days in Ghana. Yes, that’s how long my friendship with Victor stretches back; as far back as 1969 to be precise. Over the years our bond of friendship has continued to grow to the point where I consider Victor as more than a friend, but, indeed, a brother. Upon completion of the University of Ghana we both came to North America to pursue further studies, and remained in communication as often as the hectic life of North America would permit. However, over the past ten years the fraternal relations have been rekindled and grown even stronger as we have visited each other regularly in Phoenix, New York, Abuja, and Accra. These rendezvous were always fond occasions to catch up and reminisce about ‘the good old days’ in Ghana. It is painful to know that I will no longer have the pleasure of sharing those happy moments with Victor again as death has laid its icy hands on him. Victor left behind a legacy we should all celebrate. He came to America to seek academic laurels. He exceeded all expectations by attaining tenured professorship and becoming one of the leading experts in his field of Tourism Studies. Victor’s classes at ASU were always oversubscribed, his classes were popular as he was an accomplished lecturer admired by his students and respected by his peers. He was always professional, disciplined, research-oriented and highly knowledgeable in his image. He cut an impressive image for Africans and Americans of Color by the high standards he set himself and lived by. On a visit to me in Abuja, Nigeria where I was President of the ECOWAS Commission, he undertook to formulate a sub-regional tourism policy for West Africa. He spent his two-week vacation doing so and bequeathed to ECOWAS its current framework for harmonization and cooperation in the tourism industry. Victor was also mindful of his ‘giving back’ to his native country, Ghana. In that regard, he made an invaluable contribution to the Ministry of Tourism of Ghana in its infancy and to the formulation of the country’s tourism policy. Additionally, he was instrumental in the establishment of the undergraduate, and especially, the graduate program in Tourism at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. He was, in fact, in the process of setting up similar programs at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Accra, Ghana when he suddenly took ill and had to be medically evacuated to the United States. Even as he underwent medical treatment, he kept looking forward to when he would go back to Ghana to realize this last dream of his at GIMPA. Talk of commitment and dedication to study. As a person, Victor was charming, affable, easygoing and a pleasure to be with. He was a good man; an honest man of integrity who could be counted upon. Victor was a loyal and trusted friend I shall dearly miss. In Yuma, I introduced him to my brother Dr Alhaji Adam Tahiru who is with you today on my behalf and they became intimate friends. As we mourn his tragic passing away, I wish to express my deepest condolences to his immediate and extended family for such an irreparable loss. Our thoughts are with them at this moment of grief and sorrow. My condolences also go to the Elders and members of the Ghanaian community of Phoenix of which he was an eminent and illustrious role model for many years. I also commiserate with the ASU community for the loss of a distinguished professor who rendered meritorious service to the University in diverse ways over the years. May God give us all the courage and strength to bear the painful loss, for indeed we have lost a loving husband, a caring father, an adoring colleague, a trusted friend, an excellent scholar and a proud son of Ghana and Africa. May God grant him eternal rest. Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Head of the UN Office for West Africa Dakar, Senegal. West Africa