It is a fact of life that time marches on relentlessly and each of us gets caught up in its passage. The same may be said of the Toronto Marine Historical Society, which was formed officially in 1968 but which is really much older if one counts the many earlier years when its founders met regularly in each others' homes to discuss ships and look at photos. The first President of T.M.H.S. was the late Fred Sankoff, who spearheaded the formation of the Society and served as its leader until ill health forced him to relocate.

The person who stepped forward to fill Fred's shoes as T.M.H.S. President was another of our original members, Bruce A. Smith, who was well suited for his duties in that not only was he a ship enthusiast who hailed from Sault Ste. Marie, but he had also spent many years as a radio broadcaster. He was particularly well known for his long-running C.B.C. morning show. Bruce has served T.M.H.S. well for many years, not only functioning as the Society's leader but also chairing its meetings. He has brought a certain style and professionalism to his duties that enhanced the nature of all of the meetings over which he presided, and made the members feel at home on each occasion.

Unfortunately, for personal reasons, Bruce has decided to submit his resignation as President and as a member of the T.M.H.S. Executive Committee. He informed the Committee of his decision during the summer and it was accepted, although naturally with reluctance. Bruce announced his decision to the membership at the October meeting, although he made it clear that he would remain available to assist the Society in any way possible in the future.

Your Committee has given the matter of Bruce's replacement a great deal of consideration. Another of our early members, Dyke Cobb, has agreed to serve as President on a "pro tem" basis, and the Committee members will take turns chairing the meetings, thus providing variety (and at the same time admitting that none of us possesses Bruce Smith's talent for public speaking).

As Dyke already was a member of the Executive, it became necessary to appoint another member to fill Bruce's position on the Committee, and we are pleased to announce that David Bull of St. Catharines has accepted our unanimous nomination. David has been an avid supporter of T.M.H.S. for many years, seldom missing a meeting even in the worst weather, and we believe that his appointment to the Committee will serve to strengthen the ties between our Society and those of its members who reside in the Niagara Peninsula.

The rest of the Executive remains unchanged. John Bascom continues to serve as Secretary, Bill Wilson as Treasurer, Gordon Turner as Programme Chairman, and Ye Ed as, well, Ye Ed. Roger Chapman and Lorne Joyce remain as Committee members "without portfolio" but assisting whenever required. Your Executive hopes that the members will approve of its actions and will share its anticipation that the various changes will assist T.M.H.S. in remaining a strong and vibrant organization dedicated to providing a focus for the interests of all of the members.

In closing, we wish to extend to Bruce Smith the sincere thanks of all of all the members of the Toronto Marine Historical Society for his many years of effort on our behalf. We shall miss his leadership, but we look forward to seeing him at our meetings for many years to come.

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