Long Ago, but Not So Far Away

I once found myself thoroughly bemused by amateur radio (ham radio). This was near the time of the Citizen's Band radio craze -- 10-4, good buddy -- but ham radio is an electron of another amperage. Ham radio requires a written technical test and a proficiency in Morse code.I received my license, and ultimately progressed (1980 was the year) to the top license -- Amateur Extra, which required Morse code sending and receiving skills at 20-words-per-minute. I loved Morse code operation. There was something exotic about tapping out a message on a low-powered transmitter and conversing with a person across the continent or on the other side of the world.About that time I met Wes, a physics professor at the University of Kansas who later went to work for a laboratory at Los Alamos. We conversed for years, always through Morse code, and we met in person several times. Wes died last year. I sent his widow my sympathy and sent a Christmas card last month. When she replied, she sent along the picture shown here, and an old QSL card* I had sent Wes. It brought back a lot of memories, all good.

Gary Presley