Ham Radio Friends and Elmer’s Tributes
I am looking for help from the ham community. My website “QSL Cards from thePast” at www.w8jyz.com has sections dedicated to listing tributes to hams bothliving or SK called “Gone but not Forgotten “ and "Living Hams who have madeNotable Contributions to our Hobby". Bob Ballantine, W8SU has been mostgracious by contributing a large number of these tributes to my site.
Bob and I had hoped that more tributes would be sent by others feeling the needto contribute stories of their friends or families or Elmer’s. There are manystories and tributes out there waiting to be told about hams from all walks of life
who spent their time in the our hobby contributing to their communities, theirradio clubs or just enjoying being a part of Ham Radio History.
So go spend some time at “QSL Cards from the Past” and read some of ourstories and tributes and then get busy writing about your favorite ham or Elmerand forward them to me at: w8jyz@arrl.net----------------------------------------------------------------Posted By WA3LWR
October 14, 2009 Posted By WA3LWR
Lee Jerauld, W3VAP
Thirty five years ago, I was a 16 year old with some interest in ham radio andtook a free Novice class taught by Lee Jerauld, W3VAP. Prior to the exam heworked with me and even then I just passed the Novice.
When trying to get my General, in front of the FCC, I failed it several times, but
Lee kept encouraging me and I finally got it. Lee was the EC for ARES, Radio
Officer for EMA, set up the first real VHF repeater and held many club offices.
He never sought praise, but was always out there helping others. He is now
retired and not nearly as active but without him I would never have become aham, and an Elmer for others. I also became the EC, Radio Officer, club officer,etc. and have taught several classes. Lee taught me what being a ham and anElmer means. I salute him and hope others will praise their Elmer's.

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Hi Bob,October 17, 2009
Very interesting website! Great idea about writing up stories about hams thathave made a difference. Here is mine:
Jim Richards, W8OO.
Jim and his wonderful wife Phyllis, moved to Keyser, WV from the DC area
where he worked for the Naval Research Lab. After retirement he wanted tomove back to his home town and its relaxed atmosphere and fortunately for me,
found a house just two streets from where I live.
As in many cases, I first noticed a ham antenna in the back yard. I stopped one
day, rang the door bell and introduced myself. This was the beginning of one of
the most rewarding friendships I've ever had.
Although I had at that time, been a ham for 20 or more years, compared to Jim I
was still in the Novice class. His background provided many hours talking about
his experiences as a young ham that wound coils on cardboard oatmeal
containers to his professional career as a self-taught electronics engineer anddesigner.
During his career, Jim worked for Westinghouse and spent countless hours
keeping the Westinghouse robots, Elektro and Elektro's dog, Sparko operationalat the 1939 New York World’s Fair. He also worked on the installation of the50,000 watt transmitter at KDKA in Pittsburg. Eventually Jim went to work for
the Navel Research Lab where his work ranged from microwave effects on flesh
to ultrasonics to military needs.

It was one of the later that created sleepless nights for him. Jim told me thatNRL and two other entities competed for a sea mine detector that would bemounted on submarines during the later part of WWII. Jim's design won thecompetition and his design was mounted on three submarines. After the subs
had been at sea for two weeks, he was told that they were going to attack
shipping inside one of Japan's major ports. They would have to navigate
through curtains of sea mines in order to get within torpedo range of the ships inthe port. He couldn't talk about it because of security and this mission was on
his mind constantly, even in his dreams. He said that the atomic bomb wasdropped before the subs reached the Japanese port and they were diverted.

Jim also had 29 patents with his name on them but since he worked for either
the NRL or another company, he received no compensation for them. He didinvent and develop an ultrasonic detector for which he was granted a patent
which would have made him a multi-millionaire. It was so sensitive that it could
detect the fetal heartbeat of a baby long before any other method in use at thetime. A pharmaceutical company stole his invention and simply told him, "sue."Since he couldn't afford to sue he received nothing. This invention hasdeveloped into the ultrasound testing that is presently used in medical
institutions all over the world.
Jim's expertise at home brewing equipment was second to none. His creations
were a work of art. I was fortunate to have met Jim and his advanced"Elmering" to a 25 year ham serves me to this day. I also felt fortunate that I wasable to help Jim during his last years with the "new" invention, the computer.
Because of him I found it necessary to learn about computers that enabled himto track amateur satellites. It was through Jim that I heard my first amateur
satellite, AO-10, which was the spark which turned into a flame for another facetof amateur radio.
Jim has been gone for many years but his influence on the world lives asbuilding blocks for modern technology and for this old ham.
73

Allen T. Poland Jr. K8AXW-----------------------------------------------------------------

Several years ago, when the band was a bit more alive, I was in QSO with a hamin South Africa having a very nice QSO on a warm August evening. We had beenchatting for about 20 minutes and as we were about to sign off, a ham in Mexico
wanted to speak to me since he learned that I used to live in Toronto. Manyyears ago, it seemed, he had a friendship with VE3UR and he wanted to know if I
knew him. I told him that, yes, I did know him but that I believed that he was an
SK and that his call had gone to someone else. However, I told him, since I was
not completely sure about that, he should email my father, VE3LHS since it was
likely that my dad would know. He asked me for his email address the first partof which was lhstanway. The ham in Mexico thanked me and went off to write anemail to my father to find out if Ray, VE3UR was an SK or not. As we signed off,a ham in New Zealand asked me if I had a moment and told me that we waslistening to me speaking with the South African station and then the Mexicanstation. He then asked me if my father was Lyle Stanway since he heard theemail address I gave to the Mexican station and it sounded like it might belong toLyle Howard Stanway, having lhstanway in the address I told him yes, indeed,
Lyle was my father. He then went on to tell me that when he and my father were
17 years old and newly licensed up in Canada, they went on camping trips
together. He knew my mother and father and had been out of touch with themfor almost 60 years. We were thrilled when he made the connection once again
with Lyle’s son (me!) and that evening he fired off an email to my dad (which, ofcourse, I heard about) and a ham radio friendship that had lapsed some 60 yearsbefore had been renewed. Pretty cool, right?

Rabbi Cy Stanway VE3IFS/W2-----------------------------------------------------------------