Early in the fall of 1989 Michael Nacht, the dean of the Maryland School of Public Affairs (which has since been renamed the School of Public Policy), told our small senior faculty, about eight in number, that Tom Schelling might be joining us. Tom had decided to leave Harvard, but had not yet decided where to land. The west coast seemed probably, but the University of Maryland was in the running. This provoked excitement, but also anxiety. We were a cozy, collegial group of moderately prominent scholars in our forties, aspiring academic stars. It was more than a little scary to contemplate the arrival of a genuine superstar. What sort of personality would he add to our mix?