Editorial.

There is usually very little enjoyment in writing obituaries. The only one I would enjoy doing now would be to write the obit for the year 2005. I couldn't wait to quit putting 2005 on anything. There was enough calamity last year to go along with the usual problems we face to last a decade.

Not only did we have, hopefully, once in a lifetime disasters, we saw serious spikes in pricing for most materials that may be just the beginning. We had the outing of a robber chemical and elastomer cartel that saw a number of companies fined and a few managers sentenced to jail. Retribution from those affected should begin this year. The year 2005 resurrected the term force majeure. Many in the industry learned what that meant last year. That's why an obit on 2005 would be somewhat joyous, especially if you could start the slate clean.

But obituaries in the rubber industry are difficult because of the very nature of this industry. It is global. The variety of industries served by rubber product manufacturers is another hurdle. The fact that most pass away after retirement puts them at a further distance from the companies for which they worked. Nowadays, most retire after working for several companies. This makes it easy for the death notices, even of some very prominent people in this industry, to go unnoticed. Most of the death notices we get come from friends of the deceased.

One recent passing was felt even more here, that of Bill Klingensmith. Bill was one of the first authors I actually recruited, when I joined this magazine back in the middle 70s. I was not only impressed with the depth of his knowledge, but his ability to write as well. These two traits aren't necessarily combined in many individuals. Bill also served on Rubber World's" editorial advisory board in the 1980s, and we benefitted greatly from his participation.

I like to make special mention of Bill because, I believe, he represented what a rubber chemist is. He worked for a tire manufacturer, testing labs and his own consultancy. He was an active member in the Rubber Division and SAE. He taught compounding courses. The rubber industry wasn't his whole life, but it was a lot more than an eight hour a day job.