SB QST @ ARL $ARLB065
ARLB065 Gerry Mathis, W3GM, SK

ZCZC AG65
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 65  ARLB065
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  November 4, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB065
ARLB065 Gerry Mathis, W3GM, SK

Former EPA SCM William G. ''Gerry'' Mathis, W3GM, SK

Former Eastern Pennsylvania Section Communications Manager Gerry
Mathis, W3GM, of Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, has died. He was 86.
Atlantic Division Director Kay Craigie, WT3P, reports Mathis passed
away in late October.

As W3BES, the call sign he earned in 1930, Mathis was ARRL SCM for
Eastern Pennsylvania from the late 1930s until 1951.

When the Ohio River flooded in 1937 and a detachment of Philadelphia
police was sent to Louisville to help, W3BES acted as a relay
station to keep Philadelphia in touch with Louisville. Some of his
transmissions were broadcast over local radio station WFIL to keep
the public informed about the disaster.

Mathis' professional life also revolved around electronics and
radio.  He was employed by a number of different radio-related
companies.  Many hams remember him from Consolidated Radio, where he
built custom transmitters for various prominent Amateurs.

During World War II, he was active in the War Emergency Radio
Services (WERS) and then went to the First Fighter Command to
organize the air-to-ground communication.

He was a member of the Frankford Radio Club and constructed a
multi-multi contest station where he trained many club members in
the art of contesting. He also was a long-time ARRL member.

In 1991, the ARRL Atlantic Division honored Gerry Mathis with the
Grand Ole Ham award. This award recognizes outstanding hams for a
lifetime of service to others.
NNNN
/EX