236 Research in the Teaching of English Volume 50 November 2015 236 Research in the Teaching of English Volume 50, Number 2, November 2015 Forum A Tribute to George Hillocks, Jr. Peter Smagorinsky The University of Georgia Dorothea Anagnostopoulos University of Connecticut Edited by Peter Smagorinsky Introduction: Peter Smagorinsky RTE editors Ellen Cushman and Mary Juzwik have asked me to serve as Forum editor for this year’s volume of the journal. The four Forums will include retrospectives from three former editorial teams, to follow in subsequent issues, and this issue’s tribute to George Hillocks, Jr., a major figure in literacy studies and teacher education who passed away November 12, 2014, in Chicago. His career began in 1956 when he taught English in grades 7–10 and 12 in Euclid, Ohio, a position he held through 1965 when he moved to Bowling Green State University, where he taught in a variety of positions in the Department of English. In 1971 he moved to the University of Chicago, where he taught until his retirement in 2003. Even in retirement he was an active scholar, continuing to write and conduct workshops for teachers, and he was planning new projects at the time of his death at age 80. This tribute includes essays by four of his former students: Dorothea Anag- nostopoulos, University of Connecticut, who earned a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) under George’s mentorship; Michael W. Smith, also both an MAT and PhD student of George’s; Carol D. Lee, who earned her doctorate under George; and yours truly, also with an MAT and PhD with George as major professor. Choosing four from among George’s many students was not easy, and I hope that these four essays represent what his many friends, admirers, and students feel about this sadly departed giant in research in the teaching of English. Michael W. Smith Temple University Carol D. Lee Northwestern University i236-248-Nov15-RTE.indd 236 11/3/15 9:43 AM