Torches and passings

[Horace Greeley]

Friends,

It is with great sadness that I add to Jim B's earlier list of
those no longer with us.  

Last Friday, Sheldon Smith died suddenly and unexpectedly at his
Berkeley, CA, home.

For those who may not have known of him, Sheldon was, for over
25 years, the concert technician for the San Francisco Symphony,
and was still active at Herz and Zellerbach Halls at CAL, as well
as maintaining a very active rebuilding business at the time of
his death.  His work may be heard on virtually any recording made
by the SFO between 1970 and 1995.

His candle burned, perhaps, too brightly; and he constantly fought
with the inner demons which have driven so many into divorce or,
out of the profession.  A brilliant technician, he was also a gifted
teacher, whose classes were always jammed to overflowing and well
received.  Even when one disagreed with his conclusions, it was 
clear that great energy and intelligence had gone into arriving at
them, and that they were not dogmatically cast in concrete.

The shops, first in SF and then in Berkeley, have long been centers
of very high quality, innovative work.  He was capable of craftsmanship
second to none.  Constantly experimenting, he was designing and making
his own soundboards (including some highly successful laminated ones),
as well as things like crossband laminated ribs long before most others
on the West Coast were even doing any successful shimming.

For some, Sheldon's passing is a footnote.  For some others, it is
the shattering loss of one of the few true remaining original
geniuses of the profession.  (Think of Leonard Jared, or Chas. Frederick
Stein, and a handful of others.)

A Wake, which is, after all, the only truly appropriate way to celebrate
Sheldon, is planned for later in August.

Best to all.

Horace