dna@dsd.UUCP (11/28/83)
Posted: Sat Nov 26, 1983 8:11 AM PST Msg: MGID-1667-4956 From: VRIP To: ARRL CC: AMSAT Subj: Silent Key W4KFC AMSAT shares in all the Amateur Radio community's loss in mourning the untimely passing of ARRL President Victor C. Clark, W4KFC. Vic passed on on Friday evening, 25 Nov 83. Our loss is personal and deeply felt. Posted: Sat Nov 26, 1983 10:07 PM PST Msg: NGID-1667-6097 From: TCLARK To: amsat Subj: W4KFC Remembered Today was a day of personal sadness for me. I was informed of the passing last night of a friend, a Life Member of AMSAT, an inspiration to our hobby. Vic Clark, W4KFC, the President of the ARRL, passed away following a heart attack at his home in Virginia. It was only two weeks earlier that many of us had seen Vic at the AMSAT annual meeting. He had the usual twinkle in his eye as we exchanged our old, oft stated personal joke about my being his older brother. His brief comments at the meeting again showed that he viewed AMSAT as a major contributor to the future of amateur radio. Vic's membership in AMSAT stems from the first inception of the organization and he was always there when we needed help. On losing Phase-3A, Vic was among the first to call in offering support by saying "that's OK, WE will do it again". It is a great pity that Vic did not live to see one of his pet projects come to fruition -- the W5LFL flight scheduled to start on Monday. Vic was very much involved in all the planning for this mission. Vic and I (with W3XO doing much of the ghost writing) co-authored the joint ARRL/AMSAT proposal to NASA that resulted in this exciting adventure we are all waiting for. On hearing of his passing, my retrospective thoughts went back to a time over a quarter of a century ago, when, as a student, I met Vic for the first time. I remember marveling at his abilities as an operator and contester; his exploits made him one of my true heros. Years later, our paths crossed again thru AMSAT. But after a decade and a half, he still remembered me and my shaky fist, and we joked about young "wet behind the ears" W0IUF and the QSO's we had. I imagine many others have been similarly inspired by his fine operating skills and his willingness to work with newcomers. Vic, we'll miss you. I won't be surprised someday, out of a pileup, to hear a very distant voice saying "Kentucky Fried Chicken". Until then, 73. W3IWI