It was the spring of 1990 when the paths of Prof. John T. Berry and mine crossed for the first time. At that time, I was looking for research opportunities in castings at graduate schools. I had written a letter to the Ph.D. supervisor of my father, the late Prof. Voya Kondic, who had then forwarded my request to one of his many former Ph.D. students, John Berry. Prof. Berry was the head of the Metallurgical Engineering Department at the University of Alabama—Tuscaloosa at that time when he sent me a letter and kindly offered me a graduate assistantship. It was an agonizing decision to pursue my M.S. degree elsewhere, and it was even more agonizing to send a letter to Prof. Berry informing him that I would have to decline his offer. In the letter, I wrote that he would always be my friend and that I hoped to meet him one day. I thought that I had offended this kind man by deciding not to join his program. I could not have been more wrong.

Since 1990, I have had the pleasure of getting to know Prof. Berry as a scholar, a mentor, a teacher, and a leader. His academic accomplishments at many prestigious universities in the United States speak for themselves. The success of his former students, some of whom serve as faculty members and academic leaders, including a university president, is even more impressive. Prof. Berry is a role model for any scholar; he has a passion for learning and an even greater passion to share his knowledge with others. He has a unique character that combines a high level of energy and patience for others. Although I have never had the pleasure of working with Prof. Berry at the same institution, I feel privileged to know him. He has been there for me whenever I have needed something from him: data, a recommendation letter, an endorsement, or a candid review of a paper. I have learned a lot from his published literature on castings. I think that I have learned even more from him on how to help others.

The Shape Casting symposium, the fourth in the series, has been organized to celebrate the accomplishments of Prof. Berry as a scholar in castings and solidification, a mentor, an advisor, and a friend. The articles included in this volume were selected to reflect the broad research interests of Prof. Berry.

John, many thanks for all that you have done for the casting world and for those who have been fortunate enough to have met you. You have made the world a better place.