It is somewhat sad that I should already be writing for your retirement, but I hope we will stay in contact for a long time. Of course, the idea to honor you not just anywhere, but precisely in the Lecture Notes in Mathematics (LNM), marks for me a very special occasion. After all, Springer, the Lecture Notes, the Grundlehren and you, make for a special event for both you and me, as for a family. Indeed, my late father, Beno Eckmann, has had a lifelong contact with Springer.
