In Memoriam: Alvin H. Baum, Jr. (1930–2021) Alvin H. Baum, Jr., passed away on March 28, 2021. He was 90 years old, and died of natural causes in his sleep. Alvin (Al) was born September 7, 1930, in Chicago’s Hyde Park, but grew up in Highland Park, a Chicago suburb, with his younger brother, David. Precocious at a young age, he was told he could identify car models at the age of two. Al struggled with a severe speech disability as a young child, but was always accomplished in school, ranking in the top three of his class at Highland Park High School. In advanced English, he wrote papers for his friend (which invariably received A’s, higher grades than even his own essays). He also began a lifelong passion for history and the humanities.