A Poem of Peace by Todd R. Risley

Todd R. Risley (1937–2007) was a founder of applied behavior analysis (e.g., Baer et al., 1968) and positive behavior support (e.g., Risley, 1996); he was an influential editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, and he was an associate editor for the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. Todd was a renowned scholar, an activist, and a visionary whose contributions to the well-being of people with behavioral and developmental challenges were numerous and notable (Dunlap & Lutzker, 2008). In 2003, Todd delivered the keynote address at the first International Conference on Positive Behavior Support in Orlando, which was the conference that launched the Association for Positive Behavior Support (APBS). As part of his keynote address, Todd discussed tensions in the Middle East and the Iraq War that was dominating the news at the time of the conference. In that context, Todd recited some free verse that he composed in appreciation of positive behavior support. Here is Todd Risley’s “poem of peace”: Peace is more