  This recounting of the history of the last three-and-a-half decades of
advanced accelerator concepts is offered from a decidedly parochial point of
view -- that of the career of the author, Prof. James Rosenzweig of the UCLA
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy. This short voyage through a by-now long career
will illustrate the very beginning of the compelling field of advanced
accelerators, proceed through their maturation into one of the fastest growing
areas of beam-based science, and give a look into their emerging importance in
applications. An important aspect of advanced accelerators is their
relationship to other burgeoning fields, particularly free-electron lasers. The
framework of this retelling lends itself particularly well to illustrating this
relationship. Likewise, this quick summary serves to demonstrate the essential
team nature of our field, and the contributions of participants from all
levels, ranging from students to those scientists whose careers may have
developed in previous eras of positive ferment in accelerator science.
