Fifteen-year-old Marty Sullaway KC1CWF, of Newton, Massachusetts is the recipient of the 2017 Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year (YHOTY). Licensed in 2014, he worked his way up to Amateur Extra class earlier this year. A rising sophomore year at Meridian Academy in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, Marty is co-founder of the Eastern Massachusetts Contesting Club (KR1DX), which he created to attract more young people to Amateur Radio in suburban Boston. He has helped to teach and mentor many young people, sparking interest in HF contesting. Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB, nominated Marty for the award, describing him as an “extraordinary young man.”

“Marty has accomplished things at age 15 that many hams take years to do,” Eisenberg said. “And, he is only beginning.”

A member of the Yankee Clipper Contest Club and very active in the contest community, Marty serves on the ARRL Contest Advisory Committee. Among his contesting accomplishments is the 2015 CQ World Wide SSB USA “Rookie” plaque. His score of 1,312,305 from K1VR still stands as the CQ WW rookie record.

Marty serves on the board of the Clay Center Amateur Radio Club, which promotes Amateur Radio at the Dexter/Southfield School in Brookline, Massachusetts, and he’s been involved in the club’s Field Day planning and has assisted with antenna and HF station design, as well as with repeater operations.

Marty started a podcast, The Phasing Line, and, with Sterling Coffey N0SSC, discusses a variety of antenna, contesting, and youth-related Amateur Radio activities. At the 2016 Dayton Hamvention® Youth Forum, he presented “Homebrewing Fun: Making Your Own Gear for Contest Stations.” He also appears on the W5KUB Amateur Radio Roundtable webcast.

Marty enjoys Amateur Radio’s technical aspects, designing and building systems for remote Amateur Radio station operation; he’s a computer programming enthusiast too. He serves as QSL manager for remotely controlled VY1AAA/XO1X/CI1AAA. Marty also is involved in Amateur Radio public service activities and served as a net control operator for the Boston Marathon.

His Newtown Mass Tech consulting company, which he founded, handles tasks ranging from home computer installation to VoIP connections for clients throughout the Boston area.

Marty has been active in the Model United Nations program for 4 years and has earned multiple awards, including best delegate. He is currently vice president of his United Synagogue Youth chapter and is involved in an Israeli folk dance group.

He will be recognized during the Huntsville Hamfest on August 19.

The Young Ham of the Year Award was inaugurated by former Amateur Radio Newsline editor William Pasternak, WA6ITF (SK), in 1986. Pasternak’s name was added to the award as a memorial to his commitment to recognizing the accomplishments of young people to Amateur Radio. CQ magazine and Yaesu USA are primary YHOTY sponsors, along with Heil Sound Ltd. and Radiowavz Antenna Company.