Is Bill the world's oldest
amateur radio operator?
William F. "Bill" Diaper, KJ6KQ, of Union City, California,
appears to hold the honor of oldest radio amateur in the US - and quite
possibly the world.
Diaper, who turned 104 years old on 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. 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 August
12 to celebrate his birthday. "He 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.
Source: ARRL Letter - courtesy of The
American Radio Relay League
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