Oldest Amateur Radio Operator, ARRL Member in the US is 104
NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 10, 2004--William F. "Bill" Diaper, KJ6KQ, of Union City, California, appears to hold the honor of oldest radio amateur in the US. Diaper, who turned 104 years old August 12, is a native of Great Britain. He now lives in a long-term care facility, but an acquaintance, Thomas "Fergy" Ferguson, N6SSQ, reports that Diaper remains alert and active and occasionally has gotten on the air from a ham shack in the facility's basement.
"He said the shack, located in the basement next to the laundry room, is damp, dark and not user-friendly," Ferguson said after speaking with Diaper by telephone. He said Diaper needs assistance operating the equipment but has been on the air within the past year, checking into the Pacific Amateur Radio Guild (PARG) net on one occasion. According to Ferguson, Diaper has been a radio amateur for a relatively short time--considering his longevity--apparently first licensed when he was around 75 years old. An Advanced class licensee, Diaper is an ARRL member.
Byrl "Tex" Burdick, W5BQU, of El Paso, Texas, who died at age 103 last May 30, generally had been regarded as the nation's oldest Amateur Radio licensee. Although Burdick was licensed for decades, Diaper actually was born 44 days earlier than Burdick in 1900, although Burdick--a ham for decades--had a solid claim on ham radio seniority.
Fellow residents of the Masonic Homes where Diaper lives gathered in the dining room August 12 to celebrate his birthday. "Mr Diaper was the man of the hour," a staff member of the facility told ARRL.
Members of PARG also sent many birthday cards and letters, and Diaper called Ferguson to relay his appreciation. "It really cheered him up to get such a flurry of mail," Ferguson said, adding that he hopes Diaper will have the opportunity to get on the air again in the near future.
"When I talked to Bill, he was very clear and had excellent recall of events, places, dates etc," Ferguson recounted. "An amazing man to chat with, but it just took me a few minutes to get used to his accent."
The apparent crown prince as the oldest ham in the US is Robert Galbasin, W0MHN, of Lakewood, Colorado. He'll turn 104 on December 27.
Page last modified: 03:48 PM, 10 Sep 2004 ET
Page author: awextra@arrl.org
Copyright © 2004, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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