Lane C. Kendall (1912–1999) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and among his earliest memories were riding the ferry across the Mississippi River and hearing the whistles of steamboats and steamships. When he was eight years old, his mother took him and his sister on an ocean voyage from New Orleans to Le Havre, and that voyage ignited his lifelong interest in ships and the maritime business.

Kendall earned both a bachelors and master’s degree from Tulane University and pursued graduate studies at the University of California (Berkeley) and Princeton University. His long and distinguished career in shipping began with the Grace Line and included duty as a combat cargo officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was a faculty member at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the commercial shipping advisor to the commander of the Military Sealife Command. Among his other awards, Kendall received the Navy’s Superior Civilian Service Award and the Naval Institute’s Award of Merit. He is the coauthor of The Business of Shipping, Seventh Edition.