I first met Joe in 2005 while I was Canada Research Chair in democratic learning at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. He had recently accepted a Canada Research Chair in critical studies at McGill University. At the time, I was organizing a regular colloquium series in the department of education at Concordia and invited Joe to come speak about his work to faculty and students with the expectation he would decline my offer due to the extraordinary demands on his own time. Of course I was wrong. Not only did he accept my invitation to speak but took the necessary time to answer all questions about his work from those who joined us on that particularly frosty winter afternoon.
Perhaps the character quality that struck me most about Joe Kincheloe was an absolute absence of hubris in spite of the tremendous academic success he enjoyed. Indeed, he was the most down-to-earth academic I’ve known in my almost decade of work in the field. His gentle Tennessee drawl added a deeply personal touch to a keen intellect driven compulsively toward social justice concerns. Joe was a refreshing personality in a field that is far too often marked by individuals possessing an egoistic and inflated sense of self-importance.
Joe was exceptionally supportive of my scholarship and I was honored to have the opportunity to get to know him over the past couple of years. His life and work serve as an example to all of those in academics who believe their scholarship to be more important than career trophies and proletariat production. Joe Kincheloe made a difference to me, to his profession and, most importantly, to the world he cared so much about. Thank you Joe. I will never forget the personal kindness and generosity you showed to me and all of those you encountered. We celebrate you, your work and your life, and we dedicate this modest offering to your beloved memory.