A. Theodore DeSmedt of San Mateo, California, former NDTA Chapter President and Board Member, passed away on February 5. DeSmedt was born in the Bronx, NY, in 1917 to Belgium emigres Albert and Mary DeSmedt. In 1940, he entered service to our country as lieutenant navigator in the Army Air Force. His B-24 was shot down outside of Paris during WWII, and he spent the remainder of the war as a POW in LuftStalag One on the Baltic Sea, After release and entering the civilian workforce, DeSmedt eventually became President of the American Export lsbrandsten Lines, the leading US-flag shipping company between the US east coast and the Mediterranean from 1919 to 1977; it was later acquired by Farrell Lines, New York. His long time association with NDTA had always been an occasion of pride, and he will be missed by colleagues and friends.