We are honoured to provide a tribute to Dr Donald Fyler in Cardiology in the Young on the occasion of his induction into the Paediatric Cardiology Hall of Fame. Among his extraordinary contributions to paediatric cardiovascular disease, he described the epidemiology of congenital heart disease; created the framework for regionalised data collection, collaboration, and care in New England; and designed a standardised system of codes for congenital heart disease in wide use today.