Appreciation

This represents the last edition of the Annals in my 21-year tenure. When I replaced Mc Cay Vernon as editor I had no idea that I would continue for seven 3-year appointments. It has been a labor of love, one of the most rewarding experiences in my career. I had the satisfaction of seeing the Annals grow from a predominantly North American publication to one with a global reach. My greatest pleasure was playing a part in the dissemination of such wide-ranging scholarly publications of benefit to deaf children and adults by both deaf and hearing scholars. I estimate that we received more than 1,500 manuscripts for review, of which almost 600 saw print, usually after revision. There was the satisfaction of moving over the years from deciding which manuscripts were acceptable for publication to the point where we had the option of deciding which of the acceptable manuscripts we would print. My respect for colleagues in our field could not be higher.

The Annals is the official organ of the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf and the Council of American Instructors of the Deaf. I deeply appreciate their support and especially the contributions of the members of the Joint Annals Administrative Committee through the whole period and I want to thank the more than fifty professional colleagues who served on the Annals editorial board during my tenure for the care and thought that went into their manuscript reviews.

I was fortunate to have the continuity provided by the two committee chairpersons during the entire period, Edwards E. Corbett and E. Ross Stuckless. All three of us were students together at Gallaudet and they provided outstanding leadership and guidance to the Annals. I also want to pay tribute to members of the Gallaudet University Press, which has published the Annals over the last several years. Special thanks go to Ivey Wallace, Deirdre Mullervy, and Dan Wallace at the Press for their professionalism, support, and collegiality. Vince Ercolano was the copy editor for around 500 of the published articles and, in addition to his outstanding skills, he was always a pleasure to work with. Numerous graduate students at Gallaudet and the University of North Florida have contributed to the success of the Annals. Over the last year, Amber Moore, Amy Joyner, and Kelsey Alderfer deserve special mention.

I want to congratulate Peter V. Paul, a colleague, collaborator, and friend, for his appointment as editor. I am confident he will move the Annals onward and upward to new heights.

Finally, my gratitude to Margery Miller for providing support, encouragement, and professional insight far above and beyond the call of duty to my work as editor.