John Rawls, renowned philosopher, teacher, and public figure, passed away on November 24, 2002, at the age of 81. John Rawls was best known for his work on social justice and moral philosophy, grounded in his 1971 magnum opus, A Theory of Justice. His theories of justice as fairness have had a profound impact on how people think about issues of distributive justice, equality of opportunity, and social cooperation. Born in 1921 in Baltimore, Maryland, Rawls received his BA in 1940 from Princeton University before serving in the Pacific during World War II. After returning, he continued his studies at Princeton, receiving an MA and eventually a PhD in 1950. Rawls then came up through the faculty at Cornell University and MIT before joining the Harvard faculty in 1962. Rawls remained at Harvard, teaching and writing, for over four decades. Rawls is remembered for his work in philosophy, for his humility, kindness, and exceptional analytical abilities. He provided a standard for how to reason about justice and morality, and his theories remain influential today. He will be greatly missed.