After a long and distinguished career, Dr. Louis E. "Gene" Boone passed away just before the publication of the Thirteenth Edition of CONTEMPORARY MARKETING. Over the years, students and colleagues at the University of Tulsa, the University of South Alabama and other schools in the U.S., Australia and Europe were fortunate to be influenced by Dr. Boone's insights. Many marketing instructors knew Dr. Boone through his prominent career and remember the numerous, significant contributions he made to business education. Dr. Boone served as a pioneer in the marketing discipline and was, arguably, the most creative business writer of his generation.