Tom Christian, VP6TC/VR6TC, Silent Key

Pitcairn Island Coat
of Arms (from Pitcairn
Is. gov't website)

The ham radio voice of Pitcairn Island, Tom Christian, VP6TC/VR6TC, passed away on July 7. He was a direct descendent of Fletcher Christian of Mutiny on the Bounty fame. According to the ARRL Letter, Christian was diagnosed with "possible Alzheimer's disease" in 2009, and reported that his wife, Betty, said his health "deteriorated all too quickly" in his final months. Tom had been licensed since 1957. He and Betty regularly used ham radio to communicate with two of their daughters as well as friends around the world. Tom was 87.