Carlitz and the general 3φ2

In a letter dated March 3, 1971, L. Carlitz defined a sequence of polynomials, Φ _n (a,b; x, y; z), generalizing the Al-Salam & Carlitz polynomials, but closely related thereto. He concluded the letter by stating: “It would be of interest to find properties of Φ _n (a, b; x, y; z) when all the parameters are free.” In this paper, we reproduce the Carlitz letter and show how a study of Carlitz’s polynomials leads to a clearer understanding of the general ₃Φ₂ (a, b, c; d; e; q, z). Dedicated to my friend, Richard Askey. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification Primary—33D20. G. E. Andrews: Partially supported by National Science Foundation Grant DMS 0200047.