Ralph Manning Crowley

WE AT THE EDITORSHIP OF this Journal, had an abiding respect and affection for Ralph M. Crowley, his being our sometime admissions interviewer, sometime critic, sometime guide and advisor, sometime teacher and supervisor, sometime conservationist and sometime raconteur. His death last year was a loss to all. He was always encouraging, and especially helpful to us, when asked, treading inevitably with light foot. He was our link to a noble, adventuresome and intellectual past, the American frontier spirit of discovery and pluralism, the ferment of the Mid-West during the early part of this century, and the ebullient rise and spread of enlightenment within our profession. As would be expected of such a man, when he served as editorial reader, his reviews of manuscripts usually found someting good in each despite an otherwise perceptive, trenchant, critical evaluation. He was of firm, humanistic bent, confidently rooted in, and attentive to the standards of classicism. His presence on the Publication Committee of the William Alanson White Institute added his own touch of dignity, wit and wisdom. This issue is dedicated to him and all that he represented to us.