Al Ronning K8AER

I remember quite vividly the first day I met Al Ronning.  His brother Rick, now W8LGP, was ending his shift at an event we staff called Operation CARE.  The all volunteer staffed event gives out coffee and donuts for free at a designated rest area and promotes driving safety.  Al was helping Rick at the event.  I was to take the next shift and showed up a bit early to see what had transpired in my absence.  Al, a big man, was helping out the effort.  It was apparent that Al had a speech impediment.  I also noticed that Al was....well, 'slow'.  Only in the sense that slang term is used to represent a slow thinker.  Al was not slow about helping out.  In fact, Al almost raced Rick to wait on people as they showed up for coffee.

"I'm gonna be a ham radio operator."  Al matter of factly told me.  Almost like a reflex Rick chimed in, "If my brother says he is going to do something, he is going to do it."

I wasn't so sure.  I had not been a ham all that long and I remembered how tough the test was.  It was not something the man on the street could pass the first try without some knowledge of the hobby, that's for sure.  Within a few minutes of meeting Al and getting to appreciate his sense of humor and his quick, dry wit I decided that I would be in Al's corner.  

Al and Rick come from a family of hams.  Their parent's are both hams as now are their wives.  When Al was a few months old that family was involved in a car accident that nearly killed Al.  The doctor's at the time did not expect him to live due to the extensive damage to his body and were concerned that the damage to his brain was just as life threatening.  The fact that Al made it through that ordeal should have given clue to the magnitude of the person that was about to grow up from fragile, battered body.

Al struggled with every aspect of life due to the accident.  I met him when he was around 40 and decided that he would get his ham license like everyone else in his family.  He studied and tested.  And failed.  And studied and tested....and eventually became KC8PLL and joined not only his family, but the close knit family of hams here in Muskegon, Michigan.  I was thrilled to hear that he passed his test and couldn't wait to talk to him on the air and tell him I thought he had a cool call sign.  I had found a new friend.

Al had maintained all along that he wanted to become a ham in order to help people.   He was no stranger to helping out and was very active in his church and prided himself in bringing as much food as he could load into his van to needy folks in his area.  He joined our ARES group and put in a great deal of time at our events.  We started a weekly net and needed someone to make sure that the net would have a control operator each week.  Al volunteered and since that day the net had a net control operator *NO MATTER WHAT*.  If he could not find someone to be net control operator, he did it himself.  I don't recall ever having a net not start once Al took it over.  

I noticed that the more Al did net control the better he did at it.  His speech seemed to be more clear each time he did the net.  After a couple years of doing the net the only thing that gave away Al's disability was his slight speech impediment.  He was doing extraordinarily well for a person that at one time I did not think had a chance at passing a Tech test.

Al and I worked many events as I was the Event Coordinator for our ARES group for a handful of years.  Al became one of the 'regulars'.  After a couple years Al decided that he was going to get his General ticket.  I don't know of anyone that took the tests, both theory and CW, more times than Al.  Each time he went for testing the entire ham community would be on chair's edge and it seem each time we got a notice that Al did not pass.  Each time he did not pass his attitude did not change.  He knew he could do it and to Al it was just a matter of time.  He would keep studying and keep testing until he passed.

And he did just that.  Al managed, after many times failing, to pass both his General Theory and CW tests.  It think we were all as proud as Al was on those two days.

Last Monday night, the local ARES group presented Al with an award for his tireless efforts with the ARES net.  He brought the award over to a mutual friend of ours, Bill AB8SC, on Tuesday to show it to him.  He was very proud of his much deserved award.  

Wednesday after work I got called on our local repeater by Bill AB8SC.  He told me of the award and I expressed my joy that Al finally got some recognition for his work.  My joy was short lived.  The next thing Bill told me was that at 7am in the morning Al was killed in a car accident.  He got to enjoy his award for a little more than a day.

The news hit me pretty hard.  I actually had to pull my van into a parking lot in order to finish the conversation with Bill.  When I got home my daughter Nicole, K0LEY, came down to our shack with the newspaper in her and tears flowing from our eyes.  We spent a few minutes crying and helping each other through a tough time.  I assured her that we were better people for knowing someone as cool as Al.

Al was the epitome of inspirations.  I think of him every time someone tells me they don't think they can learn Morse Code.  I know they can, if they want to bad enough.  Al wanted it bad enough and he finally got it.

I will be performing the Ceremony of Last Call for Al, K8AER on Sunday December 17th on our '94 repeater.  It will be the toughest one I have ever done.  I hope I make it through it.

An article about Al from our local newspaper can be seen here:

Al Ronning

73 and Godspeed to my friend Al

Mark K8MHZ