This special issue marks the 65th birthday of John Dougherty, the founding father of this Journal and its Editor for the first 27 years of its life. Since the Journal is so much John's creation, we thought that it would not be appropriate to let this occasion pass without recognition, and we are pleased that a number of John's former students and a selection of people who have contributed regularly to the Journal or have been Associate Editors have agreed to contribute to this issue.

Most plasma physicists will probably associate John with at least three major contributions to the subject. The first is his classic work with Don Farley on scattering of electromagnetic waves from a plasma, and we are very pleased that Don has written a short note about the genesis of this work and about his collaboration with John. The second is his book on plasma physics written with P. C. Clemmow, which, some 30 years after its publication, is still one of the best available texts on some advanced aspects of the subject. It received the rare accolade of being reprinted in the Addison-Wesley Advanced Book Classics series 21 years after its first publication. Finally, there is his editorship of this Journal, which he continued long after his own interests had shifted from plasma physics to fundamental aspects of statistical mechanics. Under John's stewardship, the Journal published papers on all aspects of plasma physics, but perhaps became specially noted for thoughtful contributions to basic aspects of the subject.

All readers who know John, whether as authors, visitors to Cambridge or in any other capacity, will be aware of his friendliness and willingness to help others. On behalf of the plasma physics community, we would like to pass on to him our appreciation of his contribution, our congratulations on the occasion of his 65th birthday and our best wishes for the future.