Theodore Mark "Ted" Smalle was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 8, 1946, where he spent most of his childhood & teen years & where he received his elementary & high school education.
His pursuit of higher education took Ted to Richmond College, City University of New York in Staten Island; where he graduated with honors with a Bachelor Of Arts degree; and where he eventually earned a Master's Degree in Engineering.
Although Ted's penchant for science & technology was apparent at the beginning of his professional career - working in various engineering firms right out of college & then establishing his own engineering company - Tri-Ad Electronics , shortly after; he had a wide variety of occupations throughout his life.
Using his tremendous engineering & mechanical skills, Ted renovated homes in upstate NY; taught Math & Science in the Florida Penitentiary System & New York City School System. Ted also served as the Social Director at the Coney Island YMCA. He even established a combined real estate & travel company -- Bon Adventure, where he was actually interviewed by NBC News in his capacity as a travel consultant.
In the 21st century, Ted returned to his original calling as an engineer as he established Cyberneering World, a state of the art computer software & hardware company, which later morphed into MedEquiTech - Biotronics, a bio-medical engineering establishment that offered repair, re-design & recertification of diagnostic neurological medical devices.
Ted was a mentor in one form or another throughout his life - from tutoring his sister in Algebra, instructing prodigy students on acing critical entrance exams, to training interns on complex engineering concepts & applications.
Ted pursued his passion for world travel, occasionally for business, but mainly for his own personal enrichment & edification. This seasoned traveler visited England, Spain, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Monaco, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Thailand, Japan and Philippines.
Making order out of chaos - this was Ted's mantra, not only in business but in life. He loved helping people with their problems, no matter what they were. He was compassionate & extremely generous in using his knowhow, connections & personal resources to help people resolve their predicaments. And he never wanted anything in return, just the satisfaction of having helped someone in need.
One of Ted's fortes was his astute understanding & knowledge of medicine. He willingly shared this gift with a lot of people who benefited from his advice. In more than one occasion, some of Ted's medical clients & personal doctors actually consulted him on their medical concerns. It was almost like they became his patients instead. Because of his sincerity & compassion, a lot of them also became his friends.
Ted was a theater aficionado who preferred Shakespeare & the classics & Broadway revivals. He loved dark, complicated movies, some domestic but mostly foreign, & jokingly remarked that "feel good" movies made him "feel bad."
If he had a chance to have dinner or brunch with an influential historical figure or 2, it would have been with Albert Einstein and Johann Sebastian Bach. Ted would have Baroque music playing in the background while he engaged them in scintillating, intellectual repartee.
Sadly, Ted left his worldly existence on November 2, 2013. Humanity has lost a multi-faceted man of science & technology, bio medical engineer, computer science & SEO master, teacher, friend, brother , lover & all-around good guy. He is survived by his long-time devoted & loving partner, Vern (Celine) Vergara; his loving sister, Betsy Sterrantino; other family members & a host of friends.
Ted has left us with a void in our lives, an emptiness in our
hearts, and will be sorely missed.