Ned Loughran has been the leading voice in Juvenile Justice issues for the past several decades. When he served as the head of the juvenile justice system in Massachusetts he invited numerous fellow directors to visit the system in Massachusetts which was at the forefront of reform efforts. When I became director of Missouri’s juvenile justice system, one of the first things I did was to invite Ned to Missouri to discuss how we could move our system in the right direction. We then followed up with a visit to Massachusetts with our key legislators, judges and state officials. Ned was always available and willing to do all that he could do to help promote good juvenile justice systems. Ned and I became the best of friends back then in the 1980s and have remained so since that time. Ned was truly my mentor, role model and someone I could count on whenever needed. He will be greatly missed and I believe the country’s juvenile justice system has lost a dear friend, leader and the heart of our programs for the youth in this country. We love you and miss you, Mark & Alice Steward