Dear fellow members of the SSCLE,

It is with the deepest regret that I inform our members of the tragic and untimely death of our colleague, Professor Ronnie Ellenblum. Ronnie was a outstanding figure in Crusader studies, a brilliant, bold and original thinker whose contribution to the field is beyond measure. Ronnie was more than a colleague for me. He was a personal friend. I spent several years in close contact with him when we-co-directed the project that he had organized at the remarkable Templar fortress of Vadum Iacob. I regard that period as one of the high points in my own career as an archaeologist. The opportunity to observe how his mind worked, to exchange and develop ideas, and the pleasure of his company was one that I cherished. Of the many and significant contributions to the field of Crusader studies and to the other areas of his interest, to his colleagues and students, there is much to say and much will be said. For the moment let me just, on behalf of our members, express our deepest condolences to his family in their tragic loss and to the academic community as a whole in the loss of one of its brightest stars. He will be sadly missed.

Adrian Boas

President