Norman Lester Rowe was born on 15 December 1915 in Paganhill, Stroud, Gloucestershire. His father was Arthur William Rowe OBE and was a civil servant. His mother was Lucy Adams. He attended preparatory school at Neville House, Eastbourne, Sussex, and public school at Malvern College, Worcestershire. From there he went on to Guy's Hospital, London. His war service was in the Royal Army Dental Corps from 1941 to 1946 in the 86th (British) General Hospital, serving in Normandy and the Baltic with the rank of captain. He served as consultant in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Rookstown House Maxillofacial Centre, Hampshire, from 1948 to 1959, and as consultant to the South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board from 1948 to 1965. He was senior consultant surgeon at the Westminster Hospital and consultant at the Institute of Dental Surgery, Gray's Inn Road. At the Royal College of Surgeons he was a member of the Board of the Faculty of Dental Surgery from 1956 to 1974, serving as Vice-Dean in 1968. He was a Webb-Johnson lecturer in 1970, and an examiner for the Final FDSRCS from 1965 to 1971 and 1973 to 1975. He was Chairman of the Steering Committee of the British Association of Oral Surgeons in 1961, its Honorary Secretary from 1962 to 1966 and its President in 1969. He was Secretary-General of the International Association of Oral Surgeons from 1969 to 1971. Norman Rowe's stature as a clinician and a statesman grew after Rookstown House was transferred to Queen Mary's University Hospital in Roehampton in 1959. Under Rowe's leadership Roehampton became a mecca for oral surgeons throughout the world. Jointly with Professor H C Killey he wrote the classic book *Maxillofacial injuries *which was published by Churchill Livingstone and went on to many editions. He had a very distinguished overseas career and was an honorary member of fourteen foreign societies of oral surgery in places as widely disparate as Brazil, Uruguay, Australia, South Africa, Canada, France, Poland, Germany and Belgium, and he delivered lectures in many countries. Despite his knowledge, experience and ability, Norman Rowe remained, to the end, a humble man. He demonstrated his marvellous sense of humour and fun to lighten the mood. He made friends wherever he went and was affectionately known as 'uncle' to both senior and junior colleagues. This reflected his wisdom and willingness to give help. Outside surgery, he had a great interest in music and photography. He died on 4 August 1991 survived by his wife, Cynthia, née Freeman, whom he married in 1938 and their children David and Susan.