Introduction to the special issue

A gifted man is often capricious and fickle before he selects his occupation, but when it has been chosen, he devotes himself to it with a truly passionate ardour . . .I often notice, with admiration, how well he bears himself when circumstances suddenly thrust him into a strange position. He will display an insight into new conditions, and a power of dealing with them, with which even his most intimate friends were unprepared to accredit him. . . I am sure that no one who has had the privilege of mixing in the society of the abler men of any great capital . . . can doubt the existence of . . . individuals born to be kings of men (Galton, 1892, p. 21).

Although Sir Francis Galton never met Roger Kirk, his description fits like a glove. Kirk’s career has shown him to not only be an assiduous scholar, but also an adroit teacher and magnificent colleague—not to mention award-winning ballroom dancer! That is, he is “a gifted man.”

We both have the opportunity to be Kirk’s colleagues at Baylor University, and he has been an inspiration to us both. Consequently, it is our privilege to edit this special issue of The Score honoring him. This issue is comprised of four articles to serve as a celebration of his over 60-year career: (a) a brief biography, (b) some personal reflections from his Div. 5 colleagues, (c) a case study of how he approaches teaching statistics, and (d) a bibliography of Kirk’s work. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

P.S., We would like to thank the following individuals for their help in securing the pictures used throughout this special issue: Megan Cardenas, Roger Kirk, Renee Michalski, Sarah Ochel and Jessica Suchanek. In addition, thank you to Baylor University and The Texas Collection at Baylor University for permission to use their photographs.

References

Galton, F. (1892). Hereditary genius: An inquiry into its laws and consequences (2nd ed.). London, England: MacMillan.