James "Jim" M. Lafferty, a long time member of the society died on March 26 in Florida. During his time at General Electric, vacuum technology was central to the research he performed and directed. Having made a major contribution to AVS, including President 1968-1969, Jim Lafferty was elected as President of the International Union for Vacuum Science, Technique, and Applications (IUVSTA), serving with great distinction from 1980 to 1983.