This volume is dedicated to the memory of the late Charles J. Pedersen in recognition of his outstanding contribution to scientific research, culminating in his discovery of crown ethers and their remarkable cation complexing properties and his receipt of the 1987 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. The field of macrocyclic chemistry, to a large degree, had its beginnings with Professor Pedersen's discovery. A first-person account of this discovery is given as the first paper in this volume. The growth of the field since the first publication on the subject in 1967 has been enormous. Charles Pedersen lived to see much of this growth. He saw many of his own predictions of possible uses of crown ethers and related macrocycles realized. His work illustrates how one individual can make an enormous difference in science. The effect of his life and work on those who contributed papers for this volume and on many others is appreciated and is acknowledged by several of the authors in their individual papers.