A few months ago, soaring suffered a tremendous loss. This was in the passing of Jeff Cloud of Lilesville, NC. I first met Jeff on Memorial Day weekend at New Castle back in 1997and within several minutes, I felt like I had known him my entire life. He was the kinder, gentler side of soaring that so many of us strive to seek out and enjoy. He loved people of all ages and fit in nicely with any group. Jeff would mingle with some racing pilots and within a few minutes, he would be chatting with a young child who was fascinated with all the happenings around the glider field. It was my pleasure to be on the other end of his towrope a time or two and he could always take you right where you needed to be. I visited him at his home airport at Anson County, NC several times. Each time, he would meet us with the enthusiasm of a teenager and be anxious to pull out his planes and get us all in the air. Lastly, Jeffús sense of humor was unparalleled. His wit and humor would keep everyone within earshot of him in tears of laughter. He will be a great memory and sadly missed for years to come.

Ed Holland