Edmund M. Morgan

Everyone who knows him well speaks of him as Eddie Morgan--or simply as Eddie. This includes his colleagues, whether they are at the same school or another one; his students, though this is privately, of course, when they are talking about him among themselves; and his former students. Especially his former students. No matter whether they have been out of school for many years or just a few years, they ask about him in the same way.

The face and the voice disclose an admiration for him and a touch of awe, and yet at the same time a different feeling of possessory pride and an affectionate readiness to protect him against the calumnies or derogations of those who had known him but somehow had not learned to appreciate him. It takes a great teacher and a strong personality uniformly to create an impression of this nature on his students. I do not propose to present a biography of him here, but I should like to list some of the personal characteristics which are elements of his greatness.