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At UC Irvine, and in Gil Geis, I found a meritocracy fused with doses of generosity and deep compassion (in the case of the department, this was true most of the time). In that environment, I was able to thrive. The university setting was itself something of a continuation for me, as I had long resided in institutions. Still, the social and learning environments were quite a change. At times I felt ill at ease, out of place, and wondered if! really fit in. Like for many, I suspect, graduate school for me was a time of being" re-formed"(many have had a hand in the clay; Gil's mark, deeply felt, is I hope unmistakable). The mentoring of a criminologist or student of criminal justice carries burdens not so evident in other fields. I say this because criminal justice, by and large, deals with pain, intentionally inflicted and otherwise. Our so-called" offenders" very often act out of pain-think of the child molester who was himself a molested child; or …