It might be well to note the statement in Weldon Boone’s History of Botany in West Virginia by Dr. P.D. Strausbaugh who said: “In 1923-24, my first year in Morgantown, Earl L. Core, a freshman in my botany class, attracted my attention, and the acquaintance ripened into a rare friendship that continues until the present hour—one of the finest experiences of my entire life.” For those of us who knew Dr. Core as a botanist and as a friend, we can certainly agree with Dr. Strausbaugh that to have known Earl Core was one of the finest experiences of a lifetime. And like his teacher, Dr. Strausbaugh, Dr. Core went on to guide and inspire countless students throughout his long and productive life. Many of us in looking back will, no doubt, see two or three teachers who had an important effect on our direction. In my case, Dr. Wade T. Batson instilled in me an interest in taxonomic botany at the University of South Carolina, and it was Dr. Core who developed and expanded that interest. Besides my parents, no two people have had a more profound influence on my professional life.