Bob,
Thanks for bringing Steve's passing to the attention of the MD birding
community. I'm dumbfounded he joined MOS  at age 15, in 1945. That's
one year before I belatedly graduated from Balto. City College in Feb.
of 1946 (thanks to my 29 Sep b'day, I was consigned to kindergarten for
6 mo before joining the thundering herd).

Tho I started birding MD in April of 1970 upon exiting USAF, it was a
while before I ran into Steve. As you indicated, he was a dedicated birder
whose infectious enthusiasm was always one of his endearing qualities.
I enjoyed swapping different "takes" on use of optics to make viewing
and photography easier and more fun. I think we both got in about the
same time on MD's first sighting of the Western Grebe. I remember his
recording of an unusual bird's song--and playback--resulted in a great
idendtification of the Swainson's Warbler, in an area he'd just recently
been birding, off of Phoenix Rd, above Paper Mill Rd. Before the word
got out, I was birding with him (ironically, an area I'd been birding for
a no. of yrs. prior because of birds such as Cerulean & Hooded W's)
and he played back this recording. I realized I'd heard that song the year
before, but had not been able to ID it. The bird came to his broadcasting
of the call. So, the credit of its ID, with the subsequent flood of birders
from all over the country was strictly all his. 

A very unassuming guy, one I'll miss.

Paul Noell
Balto.  MD