This theme issue of "Goldfinch" focuses on the definition of 'hero' and uses examples from Iowa's history to demonstrate the definition. Heroes of all ages have appeared in legends and real life, facing different challenges in the circumstances of life. The heroes profiled are ordinary people who have done extraordinary things. Those heroes chronicled in this edition include: (1) Susan Clark who integrated a white Muscatine school in 1867 with the decision upheld by the Iowa Supreme Court in 1868; (2) the young heroes of the Civil War who served as drummer boys, guides, and aides on the Underground Railroad; (3) fifteen-year-old Kate Shelley who prevented a loaded passenger train from crossing a collapsed bridge and went on to become a railroad station master; (4) the recycling efforts of home front heroes during World War II; (5) Mary Beth and John Tinker and Chris Eckhardt who protested the Vietnam War in their high school and launched the landmark Supreme Court case Tinker versus Des Moines, dealing with freedom of expression; and (6) Chris Eckhardt, the "forgotten litigant" in the Tinker case. Several activities and opportunities for further research are suggested. (EH)