On Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2001, we lost one of folk music's greatest advocates.

Words cannot express my feelings about Tor Jonassen, who had only recently stepped down from membership on the board of the Bucks County Folk Song Society, due to health problems. He suffered from diabetes, and had had several prior heart attacks. For 36 years Tor hosted the radio program "Music in the Folk Tradition," most recently on WRDV, and previously on several other stations. He was a warm, caring person, always kind and gentle, and he knew more about traditional and contemporary folk music and musicians than anyone I know, and most others as well. He will be greatly missed by many.