Acknowledgments

      Three of us wrote this book together in prayerful community, but not without substantial help from a constellation of people.

      First and foremost, we thank Marilynn E. Cornejo and John E. McIntyre. Efficiently and in good humor, Marilynn typed countless drafts of our work as it progressed and developed over many months. John then combined his mastery of the English language and his solid background in theology to edit the copy for us.

      We appreciate the contribution of +A. Theodore Eastman, Sarah T. Eastman, and W. Bruce McPherson+, who joined us in the research. Four other people were particularly helpful as we gathered information and processed it. Arthur Larrabee and Nancy Middleton, Clerk and General Secretary, respectively, of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, met with a group of us for several hours; Arthur also gave us a highly informative set of notes he has assembled for a book. Jan Hoffman, who is active in the New England Yearly Meeting and lectures on Quaker subjects in this country and abroad, has graciously supplied us with relevant published materials and served as a mentor for several years. Michael Sheeran, S. J., President of Regis College in Denver and author of Beyond Majority Rule, helped with the wording of several endnotes.

      William Rich+ and Jeannine Ruof gave generously of their time and skill to help solve difficulties with gender-inclusive language in the Introduction.

      When we completed a draft of the first few chapters, Joseph Booze, Adele B. Free, Linda Wofford Hawkins+, and Benjamin West reviewed it and offered suggestions. After the preliminary draft was completed, a number of friends and colleagues read the entire manuscript and offered thoughtful comments that enabled us to improve the work in significant ways: Mary De Kuyper, Wayne Dornbirer II, James C. Fenhagen+, Bliss and Lois Forbush, Miriam D. Green, Linda Wofford Hawkins+, Jan Hoffman, Martha Horton, +Robert Ihloff, W. Bruce McPherson+, Shirley Noll, and Susan M. Ward.

      Frank Shivers, author and English professor, was available for consultation whenever asked. Others provided a wide range of