=  NOW 40 WPM  =  
SCHEDULE HAS ONLY GOTTEN MORE INTENSE OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS OR SO.  WHEN
TIME PERMITS, RICK ENJOYS PARTICIPATING IN TRAFFIC NETS, OCCASIONAL PUBLIC
SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT, AS WELL AS CASUAL CONTESTING AND DXING.
HIS CAREER HAS BEEN IN THE ARTS, PRIMARILY THEATER, AND IN HIGHER
EDUCATION.  HE SAID, I GOT INTO THEATER AT A VERY YOUNG AGE THROUGH STAGE
LIGHTING, BECAUSE OF MY HAM RADIO AND ELECTRONICS INTERESTS.  RICK RETAINS
HIS LOVE OF THE HOBBY AND HAS MANY FOND 

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?  THE NOVICES OF 1970 FIFTY YEARS AGO, THE FACES OF NINE
YOUNG AMATEURS APPEARED ON THE COVER OF QST.  WE DECIDED TO TRACK THEM DOWN
AND SEE WHAT THEYVE BEEN UP TO.  STEVE FORD, WB8IMY  THE JUNE 1970 COVER OF
QST CELEBRATED THE NOVICE ROUNDUP CONTEST BY FEATURING PHOTOGRAPHS
SUBMITTED BY NINE PARTICIPANTS.  IN THE APRIL 2020 ISSUE OF THE MAGAZINE,
WE REPRODUCED THIS COVER AS PART OF OUR A LOOK BACK SECTION.  AS WE WERE
PREPARING THE HALF CENTURY OLD COVER IMAGE, WE WONDERED IF ANY OF THOSE
YOUNG NOVICES STILL HAD THEIR AMATEUR RADIO LICENSES TODAY.  WE DECIDED TO
FIND OUT.  WE KNEW OUR DETECTIVE WORK WOULDNT BE EASY.  ASSUMING THEY HAD
UPGRADED THEIR NOVICE LICENSES, THEIR CALL SIGNS WOULD HAVE CHANGED.  AND
AS THEY AGED INTO ADULTHOOD, THERE WAS A STRONG PROBABILITY THAT THEY
WOULDVE RELOCATED AND CHANGED THEIR CALL SIGNS AGAIN PERHAPS MULTIPLE
TIMES.  OF COURSE, ALL OF THIS ASSUMES THAT THEY HAD REMAINED IN THE HOBBY
IN THE FIRST PLACE.  WE SPENT CONSIDERABLE TIME PAGING THROUGH OLD EDITIONS
OF THE RADIO AMATEURS CALLBOOK AND SEARCHING ONLINE CALL SIGN DATABASES.
WE ALSO SIFTED THROUGH PUBLIC RECORDS WHEN CALL SIGN HISTORIES FAILED TO
PROVIDE THE NECESSARY CLUES.  REACHING OUT  TO OUR ASTONISHMENT, WE WERE
EVENTUALLY ABLE TO DIG UP CONTACT INFORMATION FOR EACH OF THE NOVICES SHOWN
ON THE COVER.  WHAT WAS EVEN MORE ASTONISHING IS THE FACT THAT THEY HAD ALL

RETAINED THEIR AMATEUR RADIO LICENSES.  MOST OF THE FORMER NOVICES HAD
ACCESS TO EMAIL, SO WE REACHED OUT AND ASKED IF THEY COULD PROVIDE CURRENT
PHOTOGRAPHS AND BRIEF STORIES.  IN A FEW CASES, WE HAD TO RESORT TO POSTAL
MAIL TO MAKE CONTACT.  THE RESULTS WERE GRATIFYING.  OF THE NINE AMATEURS
WE ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT, SEVEN RESPONDED AND SAID THEY WOULD BE HAPPY TO
PARTICIPATE IN A RETROSPECTIVE ARTICLE FOR THIS ISSUE.  IN NUMERICAL ORDER,
CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF THE COVER, HERE ARE THEIR STORIES.  1
LARKIN CRUTCHER, WN5WOW NOW WA5WOW LARKIN HAS REMAINED AN ACTIVE AMATEUR
CONTINUOUSLY SINCE 1969.  HE CREDITS AMATEUR RADIO FOR INTRODUCING HIM TO A
LOVE OF ELECTRONICS THAT EVENTUALLY TURNED INTO A CAREER.  AFTER HIGH
SCHOOL, I WENT ON TO GET A DEGREE IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, HE SAID.  IVE
SPENT MY CAREER DESIGNING AND BUILDING RF/MICROWAVE AND FIBER OPTICS
CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS.  IN FACT, MY FIRST JOB OUT OF COLLEGE WAS WORKING AT
ROCKWELL COLLINS, WHERE I WAS INVOLVED IN 6 AND 12 GHZ WAVEGUIDE COMPONENT
DESIGN.  I ALSO DID WORK ON QUADRATURE AMPLITUDE MODULATION QAM RADIO
SYSTEMS.  TODAY, LARKIN IS RETIRED AND SPENDS TIME RESTORING VINTAGE TUBE
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