John G. Whitacre is a wordsmith with the Alliance Review in Alliance, Ohio. He writes a column for that paper titled “The Scriptorium,” named for James Murray’s garden research room that saw the genesis of the Oxford English Dictionary. A steadfast defender of the English language, he studies early United States history; plays traditional Celtic music on violin, cittern, mountain dulcimer, and guitar; practices calligraphy; and collects dictionaries and maps. He is married to Annette and spends much of his free time with his Nigerian dwarf goat, Eutzly, and his cats.