Officers of the Northwest Country Cousins
Election of officers is held annually with nominations beginning the first Sunday of April and continues through the end of net on the following Saturday. Voting commenses on the third Sunday of April and continue to end of net on the following Saturday.
New officers assume their office on the first Sunday in May.
President: Jim Russell Sr., W7ZHQ
Brief BIO of Jim:
Jim is the first born of a master electrician and WWII veteran. He has one brother and six (yes, count them) sisters.
Jim has worked a lot of different jobs in the early years including operating big 'cats' and other tractors on large California farms. Also worked the oil fields and poured and finished concrete. Finally, Jim decided to take up welding and recently ended his career as a welder after 35 years.
Jim became a ham in 1977 and also upgraded the same year to General class license. In 1994 Jim upgraded to Advanced class.
Jim really loves the Northwest Country Cousins and he am also a member of: Western Country Cousins, Mid-West Country Cousins, Southern Country Cousins, BBC, WARTS, OMISS, and OEN. Jim is currently Vice-President of Western Country Cousins and a past-President of Western Country Cousins.
Vice President: Joe Lankford, K7JAL
Brief BIO of Joe:
Joe was born in Liberal, Kansas, grew up there, and graduated from Liberal High School in 1963. Joe went to college at Panhandle A&M in Goodwell, Kansas and also at Kansas State College of Pittsburg in Pittsburg, Kansas. The FAA sent Joe to seven years of formal schools at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Joe retired from the FAA in 2001 after 26 years as an electronic technician, NAS specialist, and NAS operations manager. Prior to working for the FAA Joe was a design draftsman and engineering technician for several companies in the midwest.
Joe and Carolyn met in Dodge City, Kansas and got married in 1967. They have two children, Mitch and Tonya, and three granddaughters: Megan, Kara, and Chloe.
Joe moved to Enumclaw, Washington in 1992 when he started work at the Seattle Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). Joe and Carolyn have lived in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Washington.
Joe first got interested in CB radio while living in Denver. After moving to Utah he got disgusted with the "chicken band" and found that one of the guy's he worked with was a ham. And, the rest is history [all of this is history]. Joe has been licensed since 1976 when he got his Novice class license in January of that year. And, six weeks later he had his Advanced Class and he has been Extra Class since 1980. CW is Joe's main mode.
Joe's rigs include TenTec Orion and Yaesu FT-1000 Mark V Field that drive the Yaesu VL-1000 Quadra System. Joe also uses an Icom 910 for VHF/UHF. Joe's antennas include a 3-element SteppIR, a 20 meter Yagi, 40 and 75/80 meter double Bazookas, a 160 meter shorty, a 10 element 2-meter yagi, and a 19-element 70 cm yagi all on a 52 foot motorized crank=up (with motorized tilt-over), free-standing tower with 17 a foot stacking mast.
Joe also operates from his RV. It is equipped with yet another TenTec Orion and Yaesu-1000 Quadra System. Antennas are a Tarheel #100 antenna for HF. Also he has a Yaesu FT-857D for HF, VHF/UHF with a Tarheel #100 antenna for his truck. Joe likes Tarheel antennas.
Joe belongs to many ham clubs including: NWSOAR, MIC & KEY, NWCC #1448 and current VP [2007], WCC #2302 and current President [2007], QCWA #33007, FISTS #11973 (CC #1907), and FISTS Northwest Club K7FFF #4400 (CC #457). Joe's goal is to get his CW speed back up to 30 wpm of good solid copy.
Joe does have other interests. They include RV'ing, fishing, and spending time with the grandkids.
Secretary-Treasurer: Martin Struss, KD7QZA
Brief BIO of Martin:
Martin was born in Roseburg, Oregon in 1969 and grew up in Myrtle Creek, Oregon where his parents still live today. Martin got his start in ham radio while in high school when he would regularly visit his "ham radio" buddy. Martin remembers enjoying talking to people in Australia but he didn't get licensed until years later.
Martin continues to enjoy all that amateur radio has given back to him including all the people he has met and talked to over the years on the air (in addition to his collection of boat anchor equipment in his shack).
Currently, Martin enjoys building antennas, HF rag chewing, and PSK31. Martin is employed as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist at the local hospital. He admits to being a member of a "great" organization in the NWCC and his is thankful for all the friendship and camaraderie brought by other "cousins".
Project Manager: Jack Hafen Sr., N7HIZ
More facts about Jack to be added.
...
...
...