Abstract
Sir John Marks Templeton, international financier and philanthropist, has supported scientific research in a variety of fields through the John Templeton Foundation (JTF). This collection of one hundred solicited essays was created in honor of Sir John's ninetieth birthday in 2002 and edited by Charles (Chuck) Harper, Jr., Senior Vice President of JTF and planetary scientist. The essays reflect the exceedingly wide range of Sir John's philanthropic and research interests and summarize research that has been conducted under JTF funding as well as research funded by others.