By Philip Marcelo
BOSTON (AP) --It was a simple act of kindness by a complete stranger, but it left a lasting impression on a young Polish boy escaping the horrors of Nazi death camps.
Steve Ross searched for decades for the U.S. soldier that had comforted and fed him as Dachau concentration camp was being liberated by Allied forces in 1945. As Ross carved out a new life in America, he retold the story countless times, carrying with him the American flag handkerchief the soldier left him.
"My father was absolutely transformed by that small act," said Michael Ross, a former Boston City Council president and onetime mayoral candidate. "It helped him regain his faith in humanity. It shows that these things we do in life have profound consequences. That how we treat each other matters."
Ross' search for the benevolent soldier and his life after the war is recounted in a new documentary screened in the Boston suburb of West Newton on Wednesday evening.
"Etched in Glass: The Legacy of Steve Ross" focuses on the five years Ross spent in concentration camps to his life as a war orphan in America, his career helping at-risk youths in Boston and his successful efforts to erect the striking glass New England Holocaust Memorial in downtown Boston.
Ross, now 90 and his speech limited by a stroke, attended Wednesday's screening with his family, the filmmakers and members of the soldier's family.
"It's not your typical Holocaust film," said Roger Lyons, the director of the nearly hourlong film. "Steve is a unique person. He took his second life and he really ran with it."
After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Ross became a social worker helping youths in some of Boston's toughest housing projects.
In his later years, he would talk to high school students about his Holocaust experience and address swearing in-ceremonies for new U.S. citizens. Dressed in garb similar to what prisoners wore in the death camps, he would faithfully recount the story of the kind soldier and carefully unfurl the American flag handkerchief.
"Most survivors don't want to talk about their experience," Lyons said. "Steve was the opposite. He was an open faucet."
As the documentary details, Ross' search for the soldier was featured on the popular television show "Unsolved Mysteries" in 1989. But it wasn't until decades later that the family of Lt. Steve Sattler, who died in 1986, connected the dots.
The film captures the emotional moment when the two families met at a Veterans Day ceremony at the Massachusetts State House in 2012.
Sattler's granddaughter, Brenda Sattler, who played a key role in making the connection, says the bond forged between the two families has been surreal.
"The biggest impact to me is being proud of grandpa for being that soldier," said Sattler, who flew in from Anchorage, Alaska, to attend Wednesday's screening.
"It's a lesson to just be kind," added Sattler's daughter, Gwen Sattler Allanson, who traveled from San Diego, California. "You have no idea what people are going through. Take a moment and reach out and maybe you can turn that person's world around."
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTEยฎ,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
โSMPTEโs membership has spoken,โ said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann DโAmato. โThese officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!โ
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More