Once in a long while some of us are blessed to encounter a person
whose character is so special that it deeply affects us for the rest
of our lives. Such is the case for me—and for many alumni of the
Brown University international relations program—with regard to
Whitney T. Perkins, the faculty member who guided the program for
decades and who died earlier this year. In an academic world filled
with pomposity and pretense, he stood out as a beacon of humility.
In an academic world filled with ideological polemics, he stood out
as a beacon of balance. In an academic world filled with politically
motivated jostling for power and control, he stood out as a beacon
of integrity. In an academic world filled with self-promotion and
hyperbole, he stood out as a beacon of restraint and
understatement.