It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… . Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859)

Don T . Martin introduced me to the History of Education Quarterly (HEQ) in my first history of education graduate course at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) in 1972. HEQ seemed to be revered there. I soon found out why. This scholarly journal had originated at Pitt under the editorship of Ryland W. Crary. Ry (as we called him) became another of my mentors at Pitt. In his trademark urbane and sophisticated style, he taught me much about scholarly writing and social grace. A signed and treasured copy of the first issue of the Quarterly still resides on a bookshelf in my study.