Kalman Silvert highlights the extraordinary career of an extraordinary man—one of the founding architects of Latin American studies in the United States, a major builder of the inter-American scholarly community, and an influential figure in US-Latin American relations. Thirteen distinguished Latin Americanists discuss Silvert’s role as scholar, teacher, mentor, colleague, public intellectual, institution builder, and philanthropist. They also emphasize his contributions at the Ford Foundation, where he served as senior program adviser from 1967 until his death in 1976. Coeditors Abraham F. Lowenthal and Martin Weinstein frame the retrospective, underlining the integration of Silvert’s multiple contributions and the continuing relevance of his legacy.
