When James Van Allen passed away, reports of his death and remembrances of his accomplishments flashed literally across the world: from Iowa City to Kansas City, from Mount Pleasant to the Mount Wilson Observatory, from Ladora to London, from Bettendorf to Beijing.

James Van Allen will always be with us as part of the scientific world, and he will always be with us at The University of Iowa. I would like to close by sharing with you such sentiments as expressed by L.A. Fisk, Chair of the Space Studies Board of the National Academies, in a letter to me:

• "It is with profound sadness, but in celebration for a life well lived, that the Space Studies Board of the National Research Council acknowledges the death of its friend and colleague, Professor James Van Allen. Professor Van Allen was the pioneer who led this nation and the world into the scientific exploration of space.
• "There will be many accolades for Professor Van Allen's unique and significant accomplishments. One, however, that we would like to acknowledge is his role in establishing the nation's research universities, such as the University of Iowa, as the source of innovation in the pursuit of space science. It was to the University of Iowa that the nation looked when an innovative experiment was needed for Explorer-1, and that set the precedent that the scientific talent at universities could be the driving force in the scientific exploration of space.
• "The passing of the great pioneers of the space age is a time of rededication to the principles of excellence that they established, and we do so in memory of our colleague James Van Allen.

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