Editor's Page

Help from our Friends

I am delighted to report a sizable increase in the number of Friends of SHEAR—the stalwarts of the organization who dug a wee bit deeper to give us some additional financial support. The entreaties of our president Alan Taylor in his letter to the membership appear to have had their effect, or perhaps it was my invocation of The Beatles this time last year ([epA[rs I get by with a little help from my friends/Going to try with a little help from my friends [epA[rs), or maybe it was because we made it easier to be Friendly. Whatever! You SHEARites came through in spades, and what I'd like to do now is express, on behalf of your journal and your society, our heartfelt thanks. To paraphrase the inimitable editors of yore, Larson and Morrison, our Friends are characterized not only by their obvious generosity, but also to a person by their longstanding devotion to, and support of, SHEAR. Separately, and taken with one another, they embody the collegiality, professionalism, and vitality that are the essence of SHEAR. In more ways than we can count, SHEAR is in their debt. Take a bow, please:

Douglas Arnold	Mary Kelley	Daniel K. Richter
Amy Baxter-Bellamy	Catherine Kelly	Seth Rockman
John Brooke	Gary Kornblith and	Donald M. Roper
Scott M. Browne	Carol Lasser	Milton Shapiro
Rand Burnette	Vincent Lacey	Sheila Skemp
Richard Bushman	John Larson	Daniel S. Smith
Francis D. Cogliano	Joanne Lloyd	Wilson Smith
Donald B. Cole	Roderick A.	James Stewart
Cornelia Dayton	McDonald	Nancy L. Struna
Kathleen Duval	Robyn McMillin	Keiji Tajima
Max Edling	Bruce Mann	Alan S. Taylor
Robin L. Einhorn	Maeva Marcus	Tamara Thornton
Paul A. Gilje	Cathy D. Matson	J. Mills Thornton III
Myra Glenn	Michael Morrison	Clarence E. Walker
Daniel W. Howe	John M. Murrin	Ronald G. Walters
Steve M. Hutchman	David P. Nord	Harry L. Watson
Thomas E. Jeffrey	Barbara B. Oberg	Marion Winship
Elwood Jones	Jeffrey Pasley	Gordon S. Wood
Jane Kamensky	Daniel Preston	Mary Young
Lawrence Kaplan	Steven V. Reeder	Rosemarie Zagarri

Now I'd like to ask these aforementioned heroes, and as many of you as would like to join them (and see your name listed alongside theirs this time next year), to affirm friendship for SHEAR. And thanks to the droll and ingenious mind of Alan Taylor, you've got choices. Do you want to be a Nicholas Biddle Friend for $150, a Thomas Skidmore Friend for $300, or even a Sojourner Truth Friend for $500? You pays your money, you takes your pick, and you receive all the rights, privileges, and appurtenances attached to the category you choose. (Check out the back pages of this issue for the details.)

Send your check to:

Amy Baxter-Bellamy, Executive Coordinator
SHEAR
3355 Woodland Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4531

It's that easy. Just one payment will cover your SHEAR membership, including your JER subscription and all the other benefits of membership. The SHEAR office will subscribe to the JER for you, and your support will be acknowledged each year in our winter issue.

Renew Your Membership: We Want You, Now

Did you notice a little bit of colored paper flutter to the floor as you flipped excitedly through the pages of this latest issue of your favorite journal? If so, please don't ball it up and slam-dunk it into the trash can. It's called a blow-in, and it's informing you that now is the time to renew your membership in SHEAR. You'll thus be ensured of uninterrupted delivery of the journal through 2007 and entitled to the benefits of SHEAR membership such as a 30 percent discount on all Penn Press book titles (see below for details). You will also receive the program for next year's SHEAR meeting included with the mailing of the journal's summer issue early next May, and you can start making your plans for Worcester early. But if you don't renew before the 2007 issues begin mailing, your copies have to be back-ordered (expensive for us, frustrating for...