NAARA History

NAARA – History

The Beginnings of NAARA

Where did it all start?  Even though the early spark plugs lived in the Puget Sound area, the organization seems to have been nurtured by the Walla Walla members during the first few years.  And though the loosely connected hams did get together from 1972 onward, the official start of the Northwest Adventist Radio Association occurred in 1978.  The earliest newsletter I have found is dated March 1979, but it is clearly not the first issue, as it states that it will be the last sent free to non-members and it reports a slate of officers elected on a ballot in the previous newsletter.  Those first officers were: President, Stan Pugh WA7KSC, Vice-president, Carl Jones WA7YBA, and Secretary-Treasurer, Howard Radke N7TI, with Board members Fred Mason K7OVN, Paul Nelson WA7ULC, and George Rhoads W7KZN (later KR7P).

Also listed in the newsletter were the names and calls of all the charter members.

Carrol Aimes W7IBR
Doug Bixel WA7WYI
Jim Blackburn K7XA
Donald Bovee N7AEH (ND7U)
Steve Brown WB7BJB
Keith Carlin N7ACW
Ted Chadwick WB7EPJ
Chuck Chuljian W7RPD
Marvin Clark WA7GCT
Dave Corson WA7JCT
Roy Dalby WB7VZR
Ken Daughters K7JJO
Bob Dudley WA7IYB
Dave Eilertsen WB7RXW (KE7UY)
Robert Ensminger WB7BKU
Gordon Feather W7WR
David Fisher WB7WUS
Brian Gohl n/a
Bruce Henderson K7MHL
Cliff Holt W7PPT
Ralph Jacobus K7KEG
Bill Jensen W7QHR/9Y4HR
Carl Jones WA7YBA
Lucile Jones WB7ARO
Alvah Kerr WA7ZEC
Greg Large W7ITE
Medgy Larson WB7UPK
Raymond Lenz WA7MNG
John Lewis W7GTI
Dave Martin W7TPF
Fred Mason K7OVN
Don Miller WA7FIC
Dan Necker WA7ZXP
Paul Nelson WA7ULC
Brace North K7RDO
J.S. “Shell” Phillips K7IJF
Stan Pugh WA7KSC
Howard Radke N7TI
Wilmer Radke K7MCL
George Rhoads W7KZN (KR7P)
Lester Ruud WA7YHU
Vera Ruud WB7NRW
John Schoengart K7KPB
Bernie Sperley WA7IXZ
Chuck Summers W7FHD
Howard Sweezey WA7WEZ
Robert Sweezey WA7TBI
Evelyn Trautwein W7ISQ
Richard Trautwein W7ISN
Kenneth Trussel WB6VWV (N7CJG)
Howard Tucker KA7AMG (N7CDF)
Kenneth Watson KB7AE

Roger                                Weller                                 WA7TRC

And the reason for the organization was and is to promote Christian fellowship among our amateur radio operators in the church.

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