Victor Madera, KP4PQ, who served as Puerto Rico’s Section Manager from 2000 until 2007, died on July 23. An ARRL Life Member, he was 90 years old. Madera was instrumental in translating amateur radio study guides and test materials into Spanish. Upon his retirement as Section Manager, Madera was awarded the Knight Distinguished Service Award, in recognition of his outstanding service as a Section Manager.

First licensed in 1951, Madera served in the US Army Signal Corps during the Korean War. He held a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez, later serving as the director of manufacturing for Westinghouse in Puerto Rico and Haiti. He retired early due to health issues.

Madera held several ARRL Field Organization appointments over the years, including Official Observer, Public Information Officer, State Government Liaison, and Assistant Director for the ARRL Southeastern Division. He served as team liaison/coordinator for the ARRL Volunteer Examiner team in Puerto Rico and was International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 auxiliary monitor.

Madera was a member of the Radio Club of America (RCA), the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA), and the Puerto Rico Amateur Radio Club — Federación de Radio Aficionados de Puerto Rico. He was the founder and first president and secretary of the Puerto Rico Amateur Radio League (PRARL) — an ARRL Special Service Club.

He edited the official PRARL journal, ¡EUREKA!, authored a book on the history of amateur radio in Puerto Rico, and developed the Spanish-language version of study and test materials for the EC-001 emergency communications course.