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Dedications
- The University Press of Kentucky
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Dedications This anthology of essays on the complex and continuing historical significance ofthe American war in Vietnam is dedicated to my colleague and friend Professor George C. Herring ofthe University ofKentucky. His bookAmericas Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950-1975, currently in its fourth edition, has served as the basic textbook on the war for thousands of students since it first appeared in 1979. What has given his work on the war such an enduring quality, gaining it the respect of students and scholars from across a broad spectrum of ideological and cultural backgrounds, is the clarity and force of his logical, well-documented analysis. Professor Herring is internationally recognized as one ofthe preeminent authorities on the history of the Vietnam War, and his writings (seven books and scores ofbook chapters, articles, and reviews) have earned numerous academic awards. He is in frequent demand as a guest lecturer. His colleagues at the University of Kentucky have honored his teaching and service with many special designations. He has mentored some three dozen Ph.D. students. In 2002, the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) awarded him the Norman and Laura Graebner Prize for career achievement in recognition of his significant contributions to the profession through scholarship, teaching , and service. He helped build SHAFR into a highly regarded learned society through his leadership in every major office, including his terms as president in 1989 and as the editor of Diplomatic History from 1982 to 1986. He has also held major committee positions in the American Historical Association and the Organization of American Historians and provided valuable service to the profession on the State Department and Central Intelligence Agency historical documentation committees. His career is a model for all historians ofAmerican foreign policy. -David L. Anderson George Herring represents the best of academe, a scholar invested in the community . A Virginia gentleman who made Kentucky his home, he is devoted to family, friends, and his profession. Dr. Herring gladly gave over thirty years to vii viii Dedications his beloved University ofKentucky and, in the process, either trained or directly influenced a generation of Vietnam War scholars. This compilation of original essays on Vietnam, designed for college students, is dedicated to him and, in part, reflects his rich legacy. Several ofDr. Herring's former students contributed to this volume, but, owing to space limitations, numerous others could not. To this group of excellent historians, many good friends of mine, I apologize. Dr. Herring, both exacting and nurturing, was that wonderful blend ofmentor and friend. By the late 1980s, he became America's leading Vietnam War scholar, and graduate students from across the country enrolled at the University ofKentucky to study with him. We wrote on differing aspects of the Vietnam conflict and routinely debated. Dr. Herring and his wife, Dottie, opened their home in an effort to bring us together . We enjoyed beers and bourbons with him, but he also expected high-quality work and put us through an academic boot camp ofsorts. On the other side was his respect, something precious. He guided us through the publication process, attended our weddings and baby showers, and always went the extra mile to help us secure jobs. Today, Dr. Herring still makes himself available and, if we are lucky, takes us to a UK basketball game, where his typically mild, easygoing demeanor vanishes when the Wildcats struggle and the referees miss a call. -John Ernst ...