Milestones: America's Oldest Ham, ARRL Director, SKs

The oldest known amateur radio operator in the United States, and possibly the world, became a Silent Key in October. According to the ARRL Letter, Charles Clifford "Cliff" Kayhart, W4KKP, was 109 years old and had been licensed since 1937. Originally from New Jersey, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps in World War II, and had a 30-year career with Magnavox before retiring in 1976. Kayhart was living in South Carolina at the time of his death, and had been active on the air until recently from his assisted living facility.

ARRL Pacific Division Director Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT, also became a Silent Key in October. He was 65. Primarily a contester and DXer, Tiemstra was also heavily involved in emergency communications in his hometown of Oakland, California. He is succeeded on the ARRL board by Vice Director Kristen McIntyre, K6WX, of San Jose. McIntyre is a senior software engineer at Apple. She also holds an amateur license in Japan.