Elovitz: An Exemplar of Altruism in Action

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a Festschrift as a book “honoring a respected academic colleague.” The film version of a Festschrift is seen in the 2001 movie A Beautiful Mind, in which a Princeton mathematics professor, John Nash, is honored by his colleagues through the pen ritual where they place their pens on his table in front of him as a show of respect and gratitude. In the

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music industry, a similar practice takes place when an established musician bestows his guitar to a colleague to show respect. Johnny Cash gave his guitar to Bob Dylan, who understood the significance of this gesture.

We now have an opportunity to show our respect and gratitude to Paul Elovitz for all the work he has done for us, his colleagues. I feel that Paul is part of a very rare breed of human who instinctively, humbly, and generously gives his time, talent, and energy to further his field and colleagues’ careers. Paul exemplifies altruism in action, which Freud considered to be a sign of high-level maturity. Over so many years, I have benefited from his efforts to help me and to provide a forum for my writing and talks. The older I get, the more I realize how rare a gift Paul Elovitz is. He always shows up; when he does so, he is gracious, kind, and helpful. Recently, he has started sending us playful comics and cartoons; these are some of the few emails that I open up and take the time to read. I think I will go out, buy a nice pen, and send it to Paul as a small token of my esteem, appreciation, and great gratitude. Thank you, Paul, for all of your hard work and generosity.

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