07/30/2026
Fourteen slides could never be enough to tell the story of our father.
He was often described in Portuguese as polivalente, a man of extraordinary range. His own father, our grandfather Dr. Syllo Valente, used an even stronger word: estratosférico.
He was a physician and surgeon, a medical lieutenant in the Brazilian military, a public servant, athlete, horseman, jiu-jitsu red belt, leader, teacher, father and friend. Whatever he chose to do, he gave himself to it completely.
In medicine, he was known as an artisan surgeon. While others built large commercial surgical centers, he remained personally involved in every detail. From the first incision to the final stitch, he performed the entire surgery himself. Every patient received his full attention, his hands and his responsibility.
That same intensity followed him everywhere: into public service, his lifelong dedication to Vasco da Gama, the equestrian world, and his practice of jiu-jitsu under Grandmasters Carlos and Helio . He began training in 1953, reached the red belt and received the rare Professor’s Diploma. Above all, he brought that same devotion to his family.
He believed that knowledge brought responsibility, that health was built through daily discipline and that a meaningful life had to include service to others. He taught us far more through the way he lived than through anything he ever said.
These photographs capture only fragments of his life. They cannot convey the true dimension of the man, the strength of his presence or the influence he continues to have on us.
Everything we have built carries something of him. His values live in our family, in Valente Brothers, in the 753 Code and in every person we have the privilege of teaching.
Our father. Our teacher. Our foundation.
Dr. Pedro Valente
1938–2016
