Francois R. Barfuss, 82, resident of New Canaan, Conn., since 1977, passed away 8 June 2012. Frank and his late wife, Carolyn, had three children and 10 grandchildren.

Frank was born in New York City on 18 Nov. 1929. After graduating from Fordham University summa cum laude, he served in Germany with Army Intelligence and then joined Deloitte & Touche, where he remained for nearly 40 years as a partner.

His leisure time was consumed with family and a passion for sailing that he shared with Carolyn. Frank was a life member of USPS with 29 Merit Marks. He was a past commander of the Darien Sail & Power Squadron and served the squadron in many other ways, including many years of service on the Audit Committee. Frank also had a long tenure as treasurer of the Milford Yacht Club.

Fair winds, Frank.

Donald E. Baker passed away on 9 December 2012. He was born on 16 December 1931 in St. Louis, Mo. After serving in the U.S. Army in Japan during the Korean War, Don returned to his home town. He took a job as an usher for Loews Theaters and worked his way up to Vice President of Marketing in New York City until his retirement in 1990. He and his wife Theresa had three children.

Boating was Don’s passion, and he was happiest while plying the waters of Barnegat Bay aboard his 34-foot sailboat Integrity with family and friends. The name he gave his boat also signified the way he lived his life.

Don joined Raritan Bay Power Squadron in 1973. He served as commander, taught courses, and chaired the membership, public relations, and USPS seminars committees. He was District 4′s boating course chair and legislative chair for New Jersey. At the national level, Don served on the Boat Handling and the Government and Partner Relations committees. He also helped develop the new USPS Sail course and authored countless articles in The Ensign. Don was a life member and earned 39 merit marks. A modest man, he believed he was only doing what needed to be done.

Despite his many contributions to USPS, whenever someone needed help, Don was happy to give it. And no matter how busy he was, he always made time for friends and family, and for sailing his beloved boat. Fair winds, Don!

Fred G. Roffe passed away on 29 December 2012. A graduate of Georgia Tech, he worked as an engineer for Grumman Aerospace in Bethpage, N.Y., for 35 years, and enjoyed spending summers in Hampton Bays. He and his wife Fran had two children.

In 1969, Fred joined the Neptune Power Squadron. He later became a member of the Peconic Bay Power Squadron, where he served as squadron education officer. His love for boats and for helping everyone learn about safety on the water was evident in the advanced classes he taught in piloting, navigation, marine electronics and cruise planning. Students particularly enjoyed his teaching aids, which included animated power point slides Fred created. He could explain complex concepts so anyone could understand them. For his expertise and dedication, Fred won the 2008 Charles F. Chapman Award for Excellence in Teaching. He was a life member and earned 32 merit marks.

Hal A. Hartvigsen passed away 1 January 2013. He was born 29 September 1926, and served in the armed forces during World War II in the Manhattan District Project. A journalism graduate of the University of Iowa, Hal had a long career in public relations and ultimately ran his own consulting firm, Hal Hart Communications. He and his wife Nan had two sons. Hal authored several books under the pseudonym Hal Hart. His memoir, “The Road to Madison Avenue,“ was published in 2012.

In 1975, Hal joined the Darien Sail & Power Squadron, where he served as commander. He was a district public relations officer and a USPS Life Member. While Hal lived in Florida, he was a member of the Gulf Breeze Sail & Power Squadron. He will be missed by many friends.

Robert A. Werner passed away 5 August 2012. He was born 1 July 1922, and joined the Cincinnati Sail & Power Squadron in 1976. A faithful member, he served as treasurer and also acted as supply officer. He often manned the squadron booth at boat shows, and could always be counted on to grade exams. In 2009, he became a USPS Life Member. Bob achieved the grade of Junior Navigator. He earned 27 merit marks.

His beloved wife, Beverly, preceded him in death. They had three children and seven grandchildren.

Frank J. Thompson passed away 18 Jan. 2012. Born 2 Feb. 1932, Thompson joined Penfield Power Squadron in 1967. A squadron and District 2 past commander, Thompson also served on the USPS Nominations Committee and as national law officer. For many years, he served as district parliamentarian and a member of its Committee on Rules.

After graduating from Loyola University in 1954 with an electrical engineering degree, Thompson served in the U.S. Air Force. He attended Georgetown University Law School in the evenings while working at General Electric. After graduation, he became a patent attorney for RCA, GE and Sylvania.

In 1975 Thompson established a private intellectual property law practice, where he helped numerous entrepreneurs get their start before he retired in 2002. He received many certificates of appreciation for his volunteer work in law.

Thompson and his wife, Mary Ellen, had five children and lived in Fairfield, Conn. They had traveled much of Europe and were fluent in Italian. They also enjoyed taking their 20-foot Grady-White to Shelter Island, where they often helped local sailors in distress.

28 Dec. 1917-6 April 2012

Harold E. “Hal” Spoelstra joined Portland Power Squadron in 1950 and taught Piloting for more than 20 years. He served as squadron commander and D/16 educational officer and commander. As national chairman of the Marine Electronics and Piloting committees, he wrote and contributed to boating courses still used today. Elected to the national Bridge in 1974, he served as chief commander from 1978–1979. An Emeritus Member, he earned 59 merit marks.

After graduating from the Oregon Institute of Technology with an electrical engineering degree, Spoelstra worked as a transmitter engineer for radio station KOIN in Portland, Ore., for seven years. He administered the Portland Regional Blood Bank for four years and operated his own marine electronics business, Columbia Marine Electronics on the Columbia River, for 21 years. He then traveled to Montana, developing shopping centers through the state, later returning to Portland to found and operate Northwest Yacht Brokers until his retirement.

Spoelstra and his wife, Marge, had three daughters and a son. The couple and their daughters performed locally and abroad with Bruce Kelly’s New Oregon Singers in the 1970s and 1980s.

Passionate about water safety, Spoelstra was past president of Columbia River Yachting Association, past commodore of Rose City Yacht Club, and a Red Cross instructor in First Aid, Water Safety and Small Craft. For his volunteer service to USPS and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, he received permanent life membership in both organizations.

After retiring, Spoelstra created a presentation about the navigation of ancient mariners called “Ships of Discovery,” which he brought to elementary classrooms throughout the Portland area. He taught community education classes in basic boating and celestial navigation, and he was a trainer and state administrative assistant of 55-Alive safe driving courses for many years.

His lifelong efforts on behalf of boating safety earned him the Oregon Governor’s Award for Boating Safety, the Senator John J. Hollister Memorial Award for Boating Safety, two Olin Marine Safety Awards, and the Red Cross Meritorious Service Award for 25 years of service.

Spoelstra’s achievements are all the more noteworthy since contracting polio at age 7 left him with a permanently paralyzed right leg. Despite his disability, he became a champion swimmer and an offshore sailor with more than 20,000 cruising miles in all types of small craft.

The National Safe Boating Council awards committee announced the winners for the BoatU.S. Foundation Boating Safety Youth Program Award and the OMC “Take ‘Em Boating” Grant at the 16th International Boating and Water Summit held in San Diego, Calif.

George Malindzak accepted the Boating Safety Youth Program Award on behalf of Raleigh Power & Sail Squadron. The BSYP Award, sponsored by BoatU.S., provides a vehicle to recognize individuals and organizations that have developed and successfully implemented innovative boating education programs directed at youth. The Raleigh Sail & Power Squadron developed a sailing program for kids; the kids get to build their own Optimist prams and keep them. This unique experience takes a child through the construction phase of boating all the way through racing. Kids accepted into the program must be accompanied by an adult during the construction, training and evaluation periods.

Malindzak leads the program, and he hopes it will serve as a pilot for a national program within USPS.

Jon Summers accepted the “Take ‘Em Boating” Grant on behalf of the Mississippi River Water Trail Association. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and partnering organizations are developing the Mississippi River Water Trail on the Mississippi River within the St. Louis District boundary. The Corps has developed day-use rest areas, primitive camping areas, and watchable wildlife and interpretive opportunities on the Mississippi River. Ultimately, the Corps hopes to have a water trail that goes up and down the Mississippi and can be used as a platform to train boaters in a safe and environmentally friendly way.

Funded by the Outboard Marine Corporation Foundation, the OMC Foundation grant program seeks to promote interest in boating safety, environmental awareness and the marine industry. The overarching purpose of the grant is to develop and encourage interest in boating for future generations. The program encourages organizations to develop creative and innovative programs to get kids into boats and to demonstrate the benefits of water-related activities.

Ronald J. Rainey

Ronald J. Rainey, 70, of Marion, Ohio, passed away 26 April 2012 at Marion General Hospital. Rainey was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on 30 Nov. 1941 to Joseph and Mary Rainey. He graduated from North Royalton High School in 1960 and Kent State University in 1965, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in education.

Rainey’s position with GTE brought him, wife Janet and their family to Marion from Erie, Penn., in 1980. Heretired from GTE in 1996 after a 27-year career as manager of buildings, fleet and energy. He went on to serve as area director for the Marion Cancer Society and led the office to national accolades with the annual Cancer Stereothon fundraiser.

Sailing on Lake Erie was a lifelong passion for Rainey. He skippered five boats to Boat of the Year in the Erie MORC fleet in Erie, Penn., and served one term as commander of the Marion Sail & Power Squadron. He and his family spent their summers sailing in Sandusky Bay.

Rainey is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Janet; daughter Jill L. (and husband Ken) Walls of Sunbury; son Jeffrey R. (and wife Jill) Rainey of Marion; granddaughter Abigail Janet Walls of Sunbury; and many cousins and friends. Ron was preceded in death by his parents and younger brother Dennis Rainey.

A member of USPS since 1970, John Alter, SN, was elected 2012 chief commander. 

Alter and his wife, Judy, live in Whispering Pines, N.C., and are members of the Raleigh Sail &Power Squadron.  Both are natives of Toledo, Ohio. Alter has held numerous officer positions at the squadron, district and national levels.  He has served as squadron commander, district commander, national treasurer, national administrative officer and national executive officer.

Alter received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and spent 27 years in executive positions with Ohio Bell Telephone Company before he moved to North Carolina.  His background also includes strategic planning and forecasting and budgeting.

“As a nonprofit organization, our role is to provide boating education and safety to the recreational boating community through our nationally recognized courses and seminars that can be taken in classroom settings or online,” Alter said. USPS has a membership of more than 40,000 in all 50 states as well as Japan and Puerto Rico.

During the 2012 Annual Meeting held in Jacksonville, Fla., Alter accepted his new role as chief commander, asserting, “By becoming educated and safe boaters, we’ll all have more fun on the water in our boats, which is why we all go boating in the first place.”

To find out more about USPS, visit www.usps.org