QST

By now most of you have heard, but I wanted to make sure that no one in our club missed the news of a recent Silent Key.  On Tuesday, Bryson Lewis, W4JYV became a Silent Key.  A week ago he fell off a trailer and broke his shoulder.  On Tuesday he was rushed to the hospital where he later died.

I was fortunate to get to know Bryson during the past year or two.  While many of you may not have known Bryson, in some way you?ve probably benefited from his support of ham radio.  Bryson was a close friend of Bob Wiggins, AF4TZ (owner of several repeaters in the area.)  Bryson helped coordinate work parties to support the repeaters, assisted Bob in keeping the repeaters running, and his most recent contribution is the D-Star repeater that Nashville area hams now enjoy.  Bryson and Bob did a D-Star demo for the RATS Club this past summer.  While some of you received a card or two from Bryson you probably were not happy about it.  Bryson served as the Official Observer in our area.  I personally enjoyed talking with Bryson about his technical knowledge of communication electronics, debating his views on part 97 rules, and whether or not Microsoft or Linux was superior.  I tried my best not to hold it against him for liking an inferior operating system with a penguin for a mascot; we all can?t be perfect.

I was very shocked when I got the news and will very much miss Bryson. 

Brian D. Shoemaker

KC4FAN

2006 RATS Club Chairman