Laurence J. Coleman was a teacher who became a professor, both of which enabled him to be a perpetual student. In the course of his professional career, he was a student, a counselor, a teacher of children with varying special education labels, a professor of special education, a developer of programs, an advocate, an editor, a researcher, and an administrator. He was fortunate to have grown up in a time when he could do things that he valued. The professional activities of which Dr. Coleman was most proud was creating with colleagues from three different fields an innovative teacher preparation program made on the model of teaching as a talent; building the Summer Institute for Gifted Children in 1980, which has been "taken over" by the original students who attended it; writing a few papers that were new contributions to his field; and continuing to be excited by his work.

Tracy L. Cross, Ph.D., holds an endowed chair, Jody and Layton Smith Professor of Psychology and Gifted Education, and is the executive director of the Center for Gifted Education and the Institute for Research on the Suicide of Gifted Students at William & Mary.