Once in a long while some of us are blessed to encounter a person whose character is so special that it deeply affects us for the rest of our lives. Such is the case for me—and for many alumni of the Brown University international relations program—with regard to Whitney T. Perkins, the faculty member who guided the program for decades and who died earlier this year. In an academic world filled with pomposity and pretense, he stood out as a beacon of humility. In an academic world filled with ideological polemics, he stood out as a beacon of balance. In an academic world filled with politically motivated jostling for power and control, he stood out as a beacon of integrity. In an academic world filled with self-promotion and hyperbole, he stood out as a beacon of restraint and understatement.

From the moment I first met Whitney when I was interviewing (with my father) to decide if Brown University was the right place for me, through my years studying under him taking every course he offered, ending with the time after he retired when I shared some of my writings with him, he was a constant model of sage and compassionate guidance. Understanding as he did the true meaning of a service profession, his interests were not in attaining personal glory but rather in doing all he could to bring out the best in his students. What he taught us in the classroom about the world was important, but how he taught us was even more vital. I lived for the moment when, after reviewing something I submitted to him, his eyes twinkled with approval.

Now my beacon is gone. But every day I teach, I think about him, trying to the best of my abilities to reflect his timeless wisdom and not to succumb to the temptations of the day. Within the ivory tower I have met nobody like him, and probably never will; all I can do is to treasure his memory and be eternally grateful to have known him.