I just learned of some very sad news out of England. Ron Prentice has passed away. Many will remember Ron for his long running control-line column “Mind the Lines” in Aeromodeller magazine. He also had a few stunt designs and a kit business. Ron came to VSC at least once and many of us here in the United States knew him well. He won early stunt contests in post-WWII England with his own designs, the Big Fry and Small Fry. Ron was a craftsman second to none. He made his living crafting stringed musical instruments, each a work of art. He was an amazing musician, playing double bass and bass guitar, with some of the biggest names in the business. He can even be heard playing the James Bond theme on the original sound track of “Dr. No”. I came to know Ron while stationed in the UK with USAF in the 1990s. We attended contests together and he would tell me stories of the London Blitz and the early days of rock and roll in the UK…all the while being so very humble about his contributions. Ron was also a keen free-flight modeler. One memory I will never forget was at Middle Wallop in the early 1990s. I was chasing his Wakefield model and on its last flight, despite seeing that the de-thermalizer had popped, the thermals carried it away anyway. Ron just smiled. One of the greatest gifts he ever gave me was a lesson in carving my own props for rubber models! The hospitality of Ron and his family was extraordinary. I was privileged to spend several nights in their home, a restored 14th century mill, complete with a working water-wheel built by Ron himself. On my last visit a few years ago, Ron gave me a small book he wrote about his life. I will reread it tonight.