An Appreciation

We are happy to be able to bring you this fall issue of The Fife and Drum. (Note that there was no summer issue this year.) At the same time, we bring the unfortunate news that Bob Kennedy resigned as editor of F&D, and from our board, in June.

Even before Bob’s taking on the role of editor from Steve Otto in 2017, public historian Chris Moore wrote an appreciation of this publication, “Twenty years of Fife and Drum,” for the July 2016 issue. He pointed out the steady transformation of what began, in 1996, as a newsletter into a “magazine” by 2016, offering “a flood of historical and cultural articles, always inspired by Fort York but with an endless range of informative, surprising, and sometimes simply amusing topics.”

We thank Bob for his work building on this expanding foundation, producing sixteen magnificent issues over the last five years. Bob always aimed for his goal of presenting “better history” and, in doing so, he brought a more diverse and inclusive lens to bear. We appreciate the tremendous time and effort Bob devoted to making F&D a better read and in working closely with former director Ted Smolak in its design and presentation. It cannot be overemphasized that such efforts have always been, and remain, voluntary. The F&D depends entirely on the good will and generosity of the people who freely devote their time and expertise to writing its content and its production.