Adieu to friends who will be missed

In the wake of the turbulence of 2001, I wished everyone, in my last column, an uneventful New Year in the hope that we might see a return to life and business as usual. I still hope this may be the case, but sadly, in the near-term, I must report otherwise.

Frank Valvoda, a long-time contributor and consulting editor for CSE, passed away Dec. 6, at the age of 78.

Frank appeared, for the first and last time, on the cover of our June 2000 issue, for which he wrote a story on sizing circuits and feeders. This was the last opportunity I had to work with him. A very quiet and unassuming gentleman, Frank always had time to help and teach. In fact, he is probably best remembered by CSE readers for his long-running series on protecting electrical systems, which he co-wrote with his editorial partner and friend George Farrell. The popular series came to an end in 1998, when Frank's partner had to withdraw for health reasons. Many readers have cited the articles as invaluable tools, and I still receive calls to this day asking whether we plan to reinstitute the series.

Mr. Farrell, with whom I spoke recently, told me that Frank, a bachelor, passed away peacefully; for that I am grateful. His knowledge and reliability will be missed.

I also regret to report that a second advisor of ours will be leaving the magazine. Fred Schultz, who appeared on the cover of our June 2001 issue, has decided he would like to slow down at the age of 76. Part of this personal decision stems from readers challenging Fred's viewpoints and whether they should be acceptable to the magazine (Letters, Nov. 2001, p. 6). As stated in my last editorial column, it was a question that we planned to carefully consider as part of an overall review of the role of our consulting editors. However, given his desire to transition into retirement, Fred, in the interim, decided to step down on his own. In his letter of resignation, including his final points on the school IAQ hullabaloo (see p. 7), Fred says he found the experience of being a consulting editor a gratifying one, and hoped to see the magazine continue its policy of publishing technical expressions of opinion—good or bad, conforming or not. Mr. Schultz, our salutations and gratitude. May you enjoy the golden years befitting a man who has spent a lifetime serving the profession.

Finally, I wish to honor and say goodbye to the man who put me in this position: Mr. Tim Kelly. After years of service to this magazine and our publishing company, Tim is no longer with the organization. A warm and true father figure, I will miss his jovial nature and faith in people. I will try to carry on his legacy, as well as those other fine gentlemen who have made this magazine worth reading.