William Gerald Austen, always known as Jerry, was a giant of American cardiothoracic surgery, a past president of the American College of Surgeons, the author of over 500 peer assessed academic publications and a much-loved friend to all who knew him. He was born in Akron, Ohio, to Bertha Marie Arnstein née Jehle and Karl Arnstein, Czech born immigrants to the USA, on 20 January 1920. He was educated at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio and later at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a BS degree in mechanical engineering. He then transferred to medicine at Harvard from, where he graduated MD in 1955. Postgraduate study included a year (1959 to 1960) as a senior registrar in the United Kingdom at King’s College Hospital, London and the General Infirmary, Leeds, followed by two years at the National Heart Institute, Bethesda, before returning to Boston to become chief of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)’s surgical cardiovascular research unit in 1963. Then ensued a stellar career in cardiac surgery during which time he was especially noted for the development in the design and creation of a cardiopulmonary bypass machine and the intra-aortic balloon pump. He became a full professor of surgery at Harvard in 1966 and in 1974 assumed the Edward D Churchill chair of surgery. After his retirement from clinical practice, he remained active in key positions at MGH, especially in regard to the philanthropy program, of which he was co-chair. He was honoured by the creation of the W Gerald Austen chair of surgery at the MGH and in 2020 an eight-storey building at the MGH was renamed the W Gerald Austen Building in honour of his leadership and service, such was his esteem at that hospital. Jerry was showered with honours and awards throughout the USA and abroad. He was president of the Association for Academic Surgery (1970), the New England Cardiovascular Society (1972), the Society of University Surgeons (1972), the American Heart Association (1977), the American Surgical Association (1985), the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (1988), and the American College of Surgeons (1992). He was made an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1986. Jerry was happily married to Patricia (née Ramsdell) for over 60 years. They had four children, Karl, Jay, Christopher and Elizabeth. He died on 11 September 2022 aged 92.