William Riley Parker's life was dedicated to the training of humanists for a changing world. His goal was to enable the humanities to exert an extensive influence on the United States and other Western societies. Believing in "the intellectual vitality and social relevance of the humanistic tradition," Parker was devoted to promoting all the varying activities that make up the professional life of a scholar. In 1959, in his presidential address to the Modern Language Association of America (MLA), he envisioned a scholar who willingly fulfills the need for academic excellence in research, teaching, and organizational activity. Parker acknowledged that the requirements of these three aspects of academic life are often in conflict with one another, each exerting its own compelling demand for the scholar's time and attention. Parker, however, achieved his highminded goal. Exemplifying the multifaceted life of the ideal scholar, Parker proved that when the requirements of...