Former ARRL Headquarters staff member Mary E. Lau, N1VH (ex-N7IAL), of Newington, Connecticut, died October 15. She was 61 and had been suffering from ALS. Lau worked in several League Headquarters departments from 1985 until her retirement in 2005, including Field and Educational Services (F&ES), where she was projects supervisor and secretary of the ARRL Foundation, then a part of the F&ES Department, assisting young Amateur Radio operators to secure college scholarships and administering the prestigious Goldfarb Memorial Scholarship. Lau headed the Field and Educational Services support team that produced the “Leap into Amateur Radio” brochure aimed at elementary schoolers. She also contributed technical assistance in the preparation of the Active Club Primer. She edited the “At the Foundation” column for QST while she was the Foundation secretary.

“Mary loved radio, was a hard worker, creative at finding solutions, would bull-dog things she believed in, was quite enthusiastic about learning new things, empathetic to anyone who came to her, super organized, happy to be at ARRL Headquarters, and was — overall a ‘glass is half full’ type of person,” said former ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Rosalie White, K1STO.

A native of Los Angeles, she also spent some time in the Pacific Northwest, where she became licensed as N7IAL. She met her husband Zack, W1VT, at ARRL Headquarters, and she enjoyed many fun operating activities over the years.

“As a person with a rare, progressive neurological disorder, Mary had compassion for all those living with disabilities and human rights for all,” her obituary said. “She participated in non-violent direct action and advocacy efforts with many groups at the local, state, and federal levels.”

In addition to her husband, survivors include three sisters. 

A Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held Thursday, October 23, at 1PM at Newington Memorial in the town center. For more information, contact Zack Lau.