When 27 years ago José Antonio Vidal-Quadras corrected my first reports and interviews with a brown felt-tip pen in those now legendary classes at essay, my dedication to journalism began to take shape. Until then I had attended theoretical classes on very pompous and very elevated subjects -which have also helped me a lot-, but in those afternoon sessions at Library Services , which we attended with our typewriters, I felt for the first time like a real journalist. That feeling had something to do with the internship itself, which was a very real exercise, very close to the field, but I think it was mainly due to the professor. The examples he gave us, the explanations he gave us, the always kind corrections with which he adorned our papers, the photos and memories that brightened up his office, his own professional biography, were a constant stimulus: we were in the presence of a real journalist. That's probably why we felt important. Perhaps I thought then that I would later meet many other professionals, that those internships were just a prologue to what I would experience, and the truth is that I have met many journalists in the years that have passed since I was a sophomore at degree program, but I have also discovered that there are not too many real journalists. That's why I was lucky to have met him when I was making my debut in the profession. I could not have imagined that two decades later I would end up working side by side with him at essay of Nuestro Tiempo. I have also been very lucky: I have attended the last stages of his professional life and I have witnessed the interest, affection and rigor that he put in his last columns and collaborations. He never ceased to be the great professional that I had admired 27 years ago. José Antonio has also been a master in many other aspects: his endearing character, his patience, his understanding and his good humor have made living together very easy and very pleasant, even if sometimes those of us around him -at least me- have not been up to the task. Basically, the whole relationship of these years could be summarized in a single word: thank you.