Donald Kaplan, who died in 1994 at the age of 67, was one of the most highly regarded writers, teachers, and practitioners in psychoanalysis. He was unique in that his special status was not associated with his advocacy of any of the contemporary psychoanalytic schools. He was a champion of neither a new paradigm nor an innovation in technique. Quite the contrary, he was a classicist in the truest sense and deplored what he regarded as deviations from the basic tenets of the field. His place was secured by a steadfast yet flexible adherence to a classical position. His mastery of Freud's work as well as his idealization of Freud shines through all his contributions. In scholarly fashion, he demonstrated his ability to apply Freudian ideas to contemporary issues of interest to psychoanalysts