It was in the fall of 1962 that I first met Jesse Clovis. I was just starting my somewhat uncertain future as a graduate student at West Virginia University. I was finishing registration when I received word that Dr. Clovis wanted to see me. After some searching I located him in the higher altitudes of the old Field House. He told me that he understood I had had some experience in taxonomy at the University of South Carolina and that he needed someone to assist him in a taxonomy course for foresters. I told him that I would give it a try. He more or less put me in charge of the lab for the course, and, thus, I started my teaching career and a long association with Jesse Clovis. He soon became one of my most respected professors and a good friend at West Virginia. He served on my M.S. and Ph.D. advisory committees. Jesse is an excellent teacher, and I have incorporated many of his teaching philosophies into my own courses. Although very busy, he could always find the time for a struggling graduate student with a problem. Jesse was always an avid photog rapher. He noticed my budding interest in the subject, and he helped me and many others to focus in the right direction.