Introducing Edward N. Pugh, Jr.

Abstract

It is my pleasure to introduce Edward N. Pugh, Jr., who has agreed to take over the responsibilities as Editor of the Journal of General Physiology, effective July 1, 2008. Ed has had a long association with the Journal. He has reviewed manuscripts for more than 20 years; and he published his first article in the Journal in 1989. He joined the Editorial Board in 1990, became Advisory Editor in 2004, and Associate Editor July 1, 2006. Ed has been a major contributor to the present understanding of visual transduction. He has made important discoveries relating to color vision, phototransduction, and dark adaptation in studies that range from mouse to man (and a large number of other preparations)—mechanistic studies that are characterized by the elegance of the experimental approach and the careful, quantitative, and insightful analysis of the results. Ed's contributions, indeed, serve as models for studies that epitomize the mission: “to publish articles that elucidate basic biological, chemical, or physical mechanisms of broad physiological significance.” Though I knew of Ed and his accomplishments for many years, we did not get to know each other until shortly after I became Editor in 1995. Ed had agreed to write a Commentary, the second one that we published; we communicated extensively about how to proceed, which contributed to the formulation of our current guidelines for Commentaries. Since then I have come to greatly appreciate Ed's many contributions to the Journal—as an author, reviewer, and source of advice and information. More recently, during Ed's tenure as Associate Editor, I have been impressed by the breadth of his interests and his commitment to the Journal and what it stands for. Over the years I have come to understand how our authors, reviewers, and readers are committed to the Journal, in an almost personal manner—a sense of community that is rare among scientific journals but which has served the Journal well. Ed has a particularly deep commitment to the Journal and its values, and I look forward to observe the Journal's continued development and growth under his leadership. Finally I wish to thank a few individuals for their many contributions to the Journal during my 24 years as Associate Editor and Editor—first and foremost my predecessor, Paul F. Cranefield, who was an exemplary mentor and set an example for us all to follow, and my fellow Associate Editors David Gadsby and Bob Shapley. We had a good time together, and I have had the pleasure of working with David for all these 24 years; I deeply appreciate his advice and support. Over the last 12+ years Angus Nairn, Larry Palmer, Ken Holmes, and Ed have joined the Journal as Associate Editors. The Associate Editors are most accomplished and well-spoken individuals with diverse interests and expertise, as well as mutual respect and willingness to speak their minds—they have contributed enormously to the Journal. The level of the discourse at the weekly Editors' meetings is high, as we review the reviews and strive toward a fair and balanced decision on every manuscript. We educated each other, and I will carry many good memories of these discussions. Past and present members of the Journal's Board have provided invaluable assistance, including advice on difficult editorial issues; I would like to emphasize the contributions by Clay Armstrong, Carol Deutsch, Paul de Weer, Don Hilgemann, Bertil Hille, Henry Lester, Chris Miller, and Gary Yellen. David Greene has been an exceptional Managing Editor, who has been an invaluable resource and contributed immensely to the Journal, and the former and present Directors of the Rockefeller University Press, Michael Held and Mike Rossner, respectively, provided an environment that nourished the Journal's development and growth. The Journal has done well—due to the efforts of these and many more dedicated individuals. It has been a privilege to work with them.