Editor's Introduction

The sudden illness and unanticipated death of Dr. Lester Schwartz stunned our psychoanalytic community and deprived us of a devoted and loyal colleague. Lester Schwartz was an analyst whose impact on our profession was as much through his person as his papers. He was a consummate teacher, supervisor, and clinical consultant for students and friends alike. He contributed untiringly and creatively to the New York Psychoanalytic Institute. There were few offices which he did not hold, and few committees on which he did not serve. Whenever something new was happening at the Institute, Lester Schwartz was sure to be involved, most likely in a leadership capacity. Amongst the latter contributions was the reorganized and expanded Newsletter, which led the way toward the creation of this Journal. Also in the publication field in the 1970s Lester created the Institute's first Brochure, heading a small committee of which the other two members were the founding editors of this Journal.

We have the fondest memories of working on the Brochure with Lester. We would convene after dinner in Lester's comfortable apartment, and with the help of cognac and cookies supplied by Lester and Mara, work far into the night. In these conditions, the Brochure was handily assembled, except for one snag, which we encountered in the section on “Child and Adolescent Analysis.” Every time we wished to use the phrase child analyst we found ourselves inescapably describing a child and not an analyst. We couldn't somehow evade conveying the picture of an 8-year-old analyst playing games in short pants. It took us several hours before we gave up and settled on “analysts specializing in children and adolescents.” Actually it took us several hours to stop laughing over the phrase child analyst. It was one of those occasions where once laughter arrives, it contagiously prevails. Lester in particular was hilarious. This remains my favorite snapshot of Lester Schwartz: leaning back in his chair, late at nigh