Thank you.

• Author: Rock, Robert H.
• Position: LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN - Letter to the editor

"Hey Jim ... Yo Bob" is how I have be gun many days at work. With these greetings, Jim Kristie and I kicked off the day, which was often punctuated with several impromptu conversations about DIRECTORS & BOARDS as well as a wide range of topics including politics, sports, and philosophy.

There are few people who know me as well, and I in turn know few people as well as I know Jim. He is a great colleague and a dear friend. As he heads off to his retirement, I feel pride for what Jim has built for us, gratitude for what he has given me, and loss for what he takes with him. All of us at the company will miss his encyclopedic knowledge, journalistic talent, and editorial skill. Most of all, we will miss his warm smile, kind heart, and cheery disposition.

This issue of DIRECTORS & BOARDS is his last. Five years after its 1976 inaugural edition, Jim came to D&B, bringing a discerning eye and a perceptive ear. In the early days, Jim worked closely with my father, Milt Rock, and together they developed the insightful, instructive, and inspirational voice of the journal. A couple of weeks ago the three of us had lunch together, and Milt congratulated Jim for "sparking the professionalization of the field" and "stimulating a continuing boardroom dialogue" on the critical issues facing the governance of American corporations.

For 35 years Jim has provided unparalleled thought leadership in corporate governance, a field he helped to pioneer and professionalize. With wisdom and wit, Jim has educated and inspired several generations of public company directors, chairmen, CEOs, other senior management, and board advisors. Now in his 36th year as editor of D&B, Jim is one of the longest-tenured editors in the publishing industry. Unless you are willing to continuously keep abreast and stay relevant, you don't get to hang around as the editor of...