John Lowry was a distinguished consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon. He was born on 6 June 1942 in Timperley, Cheshire, the son of Leslie and Betty Lowry. From Altrincham Grammar School, Cheshire, he went to the University of Manchester Turner Dental School and qualified BDS in 1963. He was a house surgeon and then a senior house officer at the Turner Dental School, before becoming a senior house officer in oral surgery at the Manchester Royal Infirmary in 1965 and then a registrar at the regional plastic and maxillofacial unit, Bradford and Wakefield Hospitals. In 1966 he entered Manchester Medical School and qualified MB ChB in 1970. He then undertook his pre-registration year in the University Hospital of South Manchester, followed by a senior house officer surgical rotation from which he passed the FRCS Edinburgh in 1985. He then did four years as a senior registrar in oral and maxillofacial surgery in the Manchester Area Health Authority, rotating through all the major hospitals in Manchester, winning a Leverhulme travelling fellowship in Europe which enabled him to work with Wunderer in Vienna, Hugo Obwegeser in Zurich and Paul Tessier in Paris. Throughout these years, John worked as an associate in general dental practice. In 1976, he was appointed as a consultant in oral and maxillofacial surgery to the Royal Bolton Hospital and from there he launched a remarkable career. He received many honorary degrees and qualifications, including honorary fellowships in dental surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, from the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the Royal College of Surgeons of England, the Faculty of General Dental Practice and the Royal College of Anaesthetists – a rare accolade for a surgeon. Posthumously he was made an honorary fellow of Manchester Medical Society, having been its past president and treasurer. He was president of the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in 2000 and dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England from 2001 to 2004. His many prizes included the Down surgical prize of the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (2003), the John Tomes medal of the British Dental Association (2005) and the Colyer gold medal of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of our College (2006). In 2003 he was appointed CBE. From 1998 until his untimely death, John was secretary general of the European Association for Craniomaxillofacial Surgery. He was also chairman of the standing dental advisory committee to the secretary of state for health from 2000 to 2004. John was chairman of the British Academy of Cosmetic Practice and promoted the cosmetic surgery interface training group. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) has established a memorial lecture known as the ‘Lowry lecture’ in his honour and his family attended the inaugural lecture at the BAAPS European Conference in Cardiff in September 2009. John published many articles and chapters in textbooks and edited many books and articles himself. He was a pioneer in telemedicine and produced many video and audio presentations. He sat on numerous scientific bodies and editorial boards and was a referee for many journals. He also gave invited lectures all over the world. In 2004 he was appointed as a visiting professor to the University of Central Lancashire and undertook many activities on its behalf. He was an honorary civilian consultant in postgraduate dental education to the Army in 2003. Throughout all his years as a consultant he remained an active clinician in all branches of oral and maxillofacial surgery. John was the most polite, unassuming and cheerful individual one could wish to meet. In his private life, John had many interests, including rallying and traditional jazz. In 1968 he married Valerie Joyce Smethurst. Their daughter, Michelle, is a dentist and their son, Johnny, is a TV film producer in Australia. John Lowry died on 29 September 2008. A memorial service was held by the College at St Clement Danes on 22 January 2009.