In this article, the author profiles Jacques Derrida, whose teaching activity made an invaluable and indelible contribution to the intellectual life of the University of California, Irvine (UCI). The question of pedagogy is central for Derrida, not only in terms of teaching people to read and write differently, but as a means for appreciating the complex relations of metaphysics and politics and how one grows out of the other--how politics often harbors deep metaphysical commitments that are never articulated or consciously realized. He was a man and teacher who was very much dedicated to the processes of speech, teaching, and writing as the principal means of literature and the university in fulfilling their roles within a democracy. Pedagogy and politics are central and interrelated aspects for Derrida--after all, he does talk explicitly about the role of intellectuals, the university, racism, and multiculturalism. In the 1980s and 1990s, Derrida came to influence a range of radical educators, including Henry Giroux, Gregory Ulmer, Peter Trifonas, Roger Simon, Denise Ege'a-Kuehne, Patti Lather, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Gert Biesta, and many others. Thus, his legacy in education and pedagogy will continue to grow as educators, teachers, and students continue to explore the complexity and fullness of his opus and its significance for politics and pedagogy. (Contains 10 notes.)