Meeting in virtual session July 17 – 18, the ARRL Board of Directors conferred three major awards.

The Hiram Percy Maxim Award

The ARRL Board conferred the 2020 ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Award on Jacob M. Nagel, AD0JA, of Wright City, Missouri. Licensed since 2012, the Board cited Nagel for exemplifying the spirit of amateur radio by learning new technologies, providing community service, and helping with emergency communication. ARRL’s top youth honor, the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award is given annually to a radio amateur and ARRL member under the age of 21. The award consists of a $1,500 stipend and an engrave plaque, to be presented at an ARRL convention or event.

The Board cited Nagel’s involvement in providing technical assistance to the OKAW Valley Amateur Radio Club and the Egyptian Radio Club of Illinois for the installation and upgrading of their club repeaters; advising the Germantown, Illinois, Fire Department on upgrading its communication systems; speaking at the 2016 Dayton Hamvention® Youth Forum; sharing his expertise in on-line forums, and active involvement in projects that allow him to integrate his amateur radio knowledge with other technical ventures in electronics.

Knight Distinguished Service Award

The Board named veteran ARRL Rhode Island Section Manager Robert G. “Bob” Beaudet, W1YRC, of Cumberland, Rhode Island, as the recipient of the Knight Distinguished Service Award, given to an ARRL Section Manager. Beaudet has been Rhode Island SM since 2002.

The Board cited Beaudet’s active promotion of ARRL activities in his Section, including visiting hundreds of Field Day operations; participating in many Volunteer Examiner test sessions; attending at countless club meetings; staying active as a contester, DXer, and mentor, and serving as a model to other Section Managers. The Board said “Beaudet’s leadership of the ARRL Rhode Island Section Field Organization has led to a strong working cadre of volunteers within the Section.”

Doug DeMaw, W1FB, Technical Excellence Award

The Board named Al Rabassa, NW2M, of Rockville, Maryland, as the recipient of the Doug DeMaw, W1FB, Technical Excellence Award. The Board cited Rabassa’s frequent contributions to the QST “Hints and Kinks” column, and his QST technical articles, including “The Basics of Fan Cooling.” The Board also noted that Rabassa has served as a subject-matter expert of the Yaesu FT-101 transceiver, maintaining a website devoted to the technical aspects of the vintage transceiver series.

Recognitions

The Board recognized the Fort Wayne Radio Club on its centennial and 90 years of ARRL affiliation, and the Radio Club of Tacoma for 100 years as an ARRL-affiliated club.