US radio ham flies to UK to present FOC Honor The Kent local press report radio amateur Bill Maxson N4AR, 82, flew from the USA to meet retired Sheppey TV engineer Ted Trowell G2HKU, 96 The Kent Online newspaper story says: For more than 70 years, retired television engineer Ted Trowell and American heart specialist Bill 'Doc' Maxson have been conversing over the airwaves as amateur radio 'hams'. Now the pair have met up at Ted's care home in Minster on the Isle of Sheppey. Bill, from Lexington, Kentucky, flew across the world to see his old pal and present him with the official confirmation of his election as an Honoured Member to the world-wide First Class Radio Operators Club (FOC). Ted, 96, of Bromfield House in Minster Road, and 82-year-old Bill have been chatting since the late 1950s, first by Morse code and then by voice. But in all that time they have met only twice. The last was in the 1980s. Ted has been an FOC member since 1952. He had been interested in radio since he was a boy and held an amateur radio licence before the Second World War. He moved into his care home some years ago but the management allowed him to install a radio transmitter and receiver in his room. An aerial wire snakes out of his bedroom window and around the building, allowing him to remain in contact with other radio “hams” all over the world. Read the full story at https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sheern...-flies-to-britain-to-meet-pal-aged-96-213141/ FOC 2014 Focus article: There’s No Excuse to be Inactive! By Colin Turner, G3VTT and Ted Trowell, G2HKU https://g4foc.org/resources/FOCUS 1/100.pdf http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2019/september/us-radio-ham-flies-to-uk-to-present-foc-honor.htm
I read this story recently it’s wonderful. I’m proud to call myself an Amateur and hope I emulate these gentlemen as I progress through this fine hobby.
These are the magnificent anecdotes from our Brotherhood/Sisterhood that demonstrate that in by far the vast majority of that that the HAM ideals are still very much alive.
Ummm... isn't the FOC the: "First Class CW Operators' Club"? Not the "First Class Radio Operators Club" Oooops!
