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: Christopher "Chris" J. Schnase, N7UTC
As told by Chris, a brief BIO:
I, Christopher John, was born in Bremerton, Washington in 1946. I grew up in Port Angeles where my father was a master baker and ran his own bakery. At age 14 I dropped out of school and in 1965 I was drafted and sent off to Viet Nam as a Mohawk Crew Chief.
Things didn't go well after I came home and as a result I drifted and went downhill. Too much alcohol and drugs didn't help much either. I got real crazy and lived in the forest on the Olympic Peninsula for a couple of years and then spent about 12 years slowly (I trusted no one) moving back to the world as you know it.
In 1986 I started a coffee roasting business as a master coffee roaster. I called it Sunrise Coffee. I worked at that for 11 years till my hands got all twisted up and I had to sell it. I made the mistake of getting married at age 54 but I did get a wonderful daughter out of it. She will be 17 soon and she is a real good friend. I also have a new friend named George -- my service dog. He helps me out when I get stressed or scared. I still don't like being around lots of people that I don't know. I find the radio a great place to meet new friends because on the radio I feel safe most of the time.
I have three stations that I have put together. A mobile station with Kenwood TS-440, screwdriver antenna, Alinco dual bander, Uniden HR-1510. A simple home station with a Kenwood TS-570 and an Alinco dual-bander. And, my shop station with one 70 foot tower with a couple of 2 meter beams, weather stuff, and a Hi-Gain TH11DX 11-element log, 30 foot tower carrying a Comet dual band antenna and an 80 meter dipole. The shack has a Kenwood TS-870, Heathkit SB-200 amp, and UHF/VHF by Alinco.
I listened to the country cousins for several months and thought "these bunch of guys are OK guys". I am glad I could get to the top of the NWCC so fast -- LOL. Honestly, I am proud to be a country cousin and enjoying the new friends that I make here. I also have a special place in my heart for veterans. Everyone should be lucky to be one, truly.
By the way, I normally don't like clubs but this one doesn't seem to be normal so it is OK. Thanks all you guys for being there.
Vice President: Warren "Ed" E. Erhardt Jr., N7QZ
As told by Ed, a brief BIO:
I became interested in radio when I was in the 6th grade. I built my first crystal set from an ad in a comic book, "The Green Lantern". I joined the civil air patrol and was in communications. This added to my interest in ham radio but I was sidetracked from radio interests by high school -- meaning: girls, sports, and other fun things.
I joined the Navy in 1960 and served until 1991 in surface ships and submarines as a quartermaster and retiring as a chief warrant officer. I married my wonderful wife in October 1964 -- we have 6 children and 19 grandchildren. We are a strongly knitted family and I am very proud of our children and grandchildren.
I have had 3 careers since retiring from the USN and several occupations including one as a fire fighter where I advanced to Chief. In the fire department there was an LT that was into ham radio and an opportunity for me to re-enter this hobby. I got my first ticket in 1993 and Extra in 2000. I was no speed demon and the code killed me but one day all the lights came on and I walked into the exam center and aced the code section.
My ham station consists of several antennas: Mosley TA-33jr, G5RV, and several VHF/UHF antennas, plus a Little Tarheel. I love building antennas and other gadgets and I have a passion for mobile ham radio. My rigs are: Yaesu FT-450, FT-857D (won at the 2010 picnic), VX5, and IC 207H. Nothing too fancy but it gets the job done.
I joined NWCC in 2010 and couldn't be happier mixing with a great bunch of guys [and, gals]. I am honored to be your VP and will do my best to meeting my responsibilities and performing my duties -- and, this is not an easy job. I also belong to several other organizations: American Red Cross, Medical Reserve Corps, and a couple of others.
Secretary-Treasurer: Jerry Crabtree, W6OVH
Brief BIO of Jerry:TO BE COMPLETED
Project Manager: Jim Russell Sr., W7ZHQ
Jim is the Sheriff of the Northwest Country Cousins. If you are a cousin, you will get pushups -- Jim hands out pushups like girlscouts hand out Thin Mint cookies. Jim, our former President, is very active on the NW Country Cousins as well as the Western Country Cousins.
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.