I met Howard Brenner in 1961, and our paths intersected up to the time of his death, sometimes infrequently and sometimes on a daily basis. Over those 53 years I came to know Howard well, on both a professional and a personal basis. His professional activities were driven by two objectives: clarity and generality. His personal traits, at least in my experiences with him, were marked by gentleness and a wonderfully droll sense of humor. This talk will be a series of Brenner “case studies” to highlight those four qualities of a remarkable scholar and a treasured friend.