We have just learned that longtime CQ Novice columnist Bill Welsh, W6DDB, became a Silent Key last November. He was 83. According to an obituary in the Antelope Valley (CA) Press, Welsh passed away on November 9 in Lancaster, California, his longtime home. He was CQ's Novice columnist for two decades, from 1977 to 1997.
Bill wrote on his QRZ.com bio page that he had been a commercial radio operator since 1944 and an amateur since 1949. Born in Boston in 1927, Bill was a veteran of the Merchant Marine in World War II. He ran amateur radio licensing courses for 50 years and had a rare talent for explaining technical material in easy-to-understand terms. Thousands of his readers considered him their mentor, even if they had never met him. However, much of Bill's time on the air was spent in the Novice bands, so many of his readers did get to meet him on the air. In addition to his CQ column, Welsh also wrote for QST, 73 and Ham Radio magazines. He also produced amateur radio training tapes for blind students, which were distributed through the Library of Congress. Even after the Novice license was discontinued, Bill continued to encourage new hams through his on-air activity and by offering a certificate for confirmed contacts with all ten U.S. call districts.(Tnx KR6C)
