# Who's the top dog in your field? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 23, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240 "2008-10-23T18:27:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/1 "2008-10-23T18:27:13Z")
Think of what you consider to be your professional calling. It needn’t be what you actually do to put beans on the table; it can be what you aspire to work at as well. Is there one living person, famous or otherwise, whom you consider the absolute tops? Someone you think of when you judge your own work? Someone whose level of skill you either aspire to reach or whom you think you can never rival, but nevertheless use as a benchmark? Who is that person, and why? This question should not be restricted to artists. Physicians, engineers, scientists, and even salesmen are as welcome to post as musicians, painters, and writers. Answering my own question… I make my living as a corporate drone, not a writer of fiction, but the latter is where my heart is. When I think of what effect I hope to have on my readers, I think of the novel A Recent Martyr, by Valerie Martin. There are endless numbers of writers who make more money than she, but none whom I look forward to reading more, and none I would rather emulate in artistic merit. Anybody else? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/2 "2008-10-23T18:30:53Z")
[Conan](http://blogs.ya.com/jardinsecreto/files/Conan_the_librarian.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![UTejas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UTejas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UTejas)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/3 "2008-10-23T19:13:00Z")
[Bill Goddard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_A._Goddard_III) at CalTech probably [Walter Kohn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Kohn) for the lifetime achievement award, but mostly retired currently. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/4 "2008-10-24T03:27:08Z")
Me. Really. Field of one. AFAIK, I am the only journalist dedicated exclusively to covering the area I cover. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/5 "2008-10-24T04:25:06Z")
I’m a management consultant/corporate manager so Michael Porter or James O. McKinsey I guess. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/6 "2008-10-24T04:53:05Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I’m a management consultant/corporate manager so Michael Porter or James O. McKinsey I guess. I’d say [Peter Drucker](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Drucker). ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/7 "2008-10-24T12:28:19Z")
Warren Buffet. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/8 "2008-10-24T21:04:50Z")
In my field of property and casualty actuarial practice, the pretty-much undisputed Big Kahuna is [Sholom Feldblum](http://www.neas-seminars.com/Faculty/Feldblum/). I’d be shocked if anyone else has heard of him. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/9 "2008-10-24T21:15:33Z")
Mike Leavitt, the Secretary of Health and Human Services ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/10 "2008-10-24T21:19:56Z")
A Google search for the term “famous paralegals” turned up a total of four measly results. I think I’m going to go find a less depressing thread. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/11 "2008-10-24T21:38:15Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > In my field of property and casualty actuarial practice, the pretty-much undisputed Big Kahuna is [Sholom Feldblum](http://www.neas-seminars.com/Faculty/Feldblum/). I’d be shocked if anyone else has heard of him. I didn’t know his first name, but I’ve seen discussion on a few of his articles that are featured on upper level CAS exams. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/12 "2008-10-24T21:46:04Z")
This guy: [Atticus Finch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atticus_Finch) ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/13 "2008-10-24T21:48:07Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > This guy: > > [Atticus Finch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atticus_Finch) By that logic I should have written either Gabrielle of Potadeaia or Victor von Doom. ---
**Author:** ![Influential\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Influential\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Influential_Panda)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/14 "2008-10-24T22:07:30Z")
IMHO, it’s Daniel Wegner ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/15 "2008-10-24T23:12:11Z")
There are a number of “gurus” in my field: **Living** [Winfield Hill](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winfield_Hill) [Paul Horowitz](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Horowitz) [Bob Pease](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Pease) [Don Lancaster](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Lancaster) **Dead** [Carl Friedrich Gauss](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Friedrich_Gauss) [Michael Faraday](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Faraday) [Oliver Heaviside](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Heaviside) [Harold Stephen Black](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Stephen_Black) ---
**Author:** ![CircleofWillis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/54ee81/32.png) [@CircleofWillis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CircleofWillis)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/16 "2008-10-24T23:25:46Z")
[Bob Sheppard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Sheppard) ---
**Author:** ![liberty3701](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@liberty3701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liberty3701)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/17 "2008-10-24T23:57:00Z")
Most would probably say [Bill Labov](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Labov), but I’m more of a [Walt Wolfram](http://www.ncsu.edu/linguistics/wolfram.php) fan myself. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/18 "2008-10-24T23:57:24Z")
Social Worker. Nelson Mandela. The level of professionalism and perseverance he demonstrated in the interest of social change is staggering. We should all be so knowledgeable, so dignified and so successful. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/19 "2008-10-25T00:03:01Z")
[Michael Abrash](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Abrash), perhaps. It’s sort of hard to say since programmers are just worker bees for the most part, and it’s somewhat unclear how competent as engineers academics (like [Donald Knuth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Knuth)) really are. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2008, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240/20 "2008-10-25T00:35:29Z")
I am. But it’s a very small field. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-top-dog-in-your-field/469240.md?page=2)