Twenty-Five ASA Fellows and Editors Tell of PSCF Articles That Changed Their Lives

Abstract

Every breath counts, as does every article that has appeared in the 75 years of PSCF. Each article has convinced the author, peer reviewers, and editor that it is clear, well informed, new, and important. Reading them consistently has been like breathing. One does not necessarily remember every specific breath, but each one adds to sustaining and forming and empowering life and service. *We do sometimes remember, though, a particular breath that was bracing and exhilarating such as salt air when arriving at an ocean beach, fresh-baked bread in the winter, the first mown grass in the spring, or a waft of honeysuckle in the summer. As individuals in different disciplines, living in different contexts, different articles have meant the most to each of us. I have asked each of the ASA Fellows and editors to remember one such article that struck them at the time, and if it still speaks to them vividly now. *No doubt, different contexts over the coming years might bring to mind other articles, but the following is a snapshot of what today they remember as particularly noteworthy in their own walk. It should be noted that Fellows, who all have marked accomplishments to be named Fellows, will of course tend to be well into their years of service. Many articles they cite as most influential were often read in their most formative decades. We do not know which articles now being read by current members in their 20s, 30s, and 40s will be cited as most important to them when they reach the life achievement level of Fellows. *The articles that follow are listed in chronological order--from sixty years ago, right up to 2022. *As editor, I am partial to every piece that has been published in PSCF. But what follows is an opportunity for ASA Fellows and editors to celebrate particular essays that have piqued their interest, even changed their lives, and no doubt the lives of other readers too. *