President Emeritus, American Radio Relay League
President Emeritus, Quarter Century Wireless Association
Retired Commander, US Naval Reserves (1949-1987)
Harry was born in New York City and graduated from Balboa High School in the former Panama Canal Zone, where his father was Officer in Charge of a radio receiving site. He entered the US Navy on 5 June 1944, less than 2 months after his 17th birthday, and was honorably discharged as a Radioman 2nd Class on 21 June 1946. He then enrolled at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now Polytechnic Institute of New York University), graduating in 1950. Prior to his college graduation, he entered the US Navy Reserves as an Ensign on 20 Nov 1949, with the following promotions - Lieutenant Junior Grade on 5 Apr 1953, Lieutenant on 1 Sep 1956, Lieutenant Commander on 1 Jul 1962, and Commander on 1 Nov 1966, the rank of which he retained until his retirement from the Reserves in April 1987, with over 39 years of total service.
While in college, Harry studied for and passed his amateur radio exam, and was granted the callsign W2TUK (now held by his son), to the delight of his father, W2GG. As a member of the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS), he held the call sign of AF2TUK. He stated that he practiced Morse Code when he was 10 years of age with a friend, reaching a proficiency of 40 to 50 words per minute. He later received the callsign W2HD.
After graduating college in 1950, Harry was employed by the Sperry Corporation in New York, where he worked in radar and other engineering programs for almost 40 years. During that time, he and more that 200 other amateur radio operators that worked at Sperry operated in the club station during their lunch periods, under the callsign W2YKQ. He met his wife, Kay Comtess, an engineering clerk at Sperry, and they were married in 1952. In retirement, they moved to Charlottesville, Virginia.
A Life Member of the American Radio Relay League, Harry held a number of volunteer appointments in the ARRL Field Organization - Official Relay Station (ORS); Official Phone Station (OPS); Official Observer (OO), and Emergency Coordinator (EC). Later, he was a Volunteer Examiner (VE). Prior to being elected President of the American Radio Relay League in 1972, a position he held for five consecutive 2-year terms, he had held a number of other elected positions with the ARRL - Section Communications Manager (SCM), Vice Director and Director of the ARRL Hudson Division. Harry traveled extensively to represent the ARRL, as well as for his position as US Representative to Region II of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). During his presidency of the ARRL, preparations were made for the World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) of 1979, which led to the worldwide allocation of the 12, 17, and 30 meter bands.
Harry was also President of the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA), serving from 1989 to 1994. To this day, he is the only person to hold both offices. On 22 January 2010, the QCWA announced his elevation to President Emeritus, a position similarly conferred to him by the ARRL in 1984. He was a Fellow in the Radio Club of America, a member of the Society of Wireless Pioneers, the Old Old Timers Club, and the Veteran Wireless Operators Association. In 2002, he was inducted into the CQ Magazine Amateur Radio Hall of Fame.
President Emeritus, Quarter Century Wireless Association
Retired Commander, US Naval Reserves (1949-1987)
Harry was born in New York City and graduated from Balboa High School in the former Panama Canal Zone, where his father was Officer in Charge of a radio receiving site. He entered the US Navy on 5 June 1944, less than 2 months after his 17th birthday, and was honorably discharged as a Radioman 2nd Class on 21 June 1946. He then enrolled at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now Polytechnic Institute of New York University), graduating in 1950. Prior to his college graduation, he entered the US Navy Reserves as an Ensign on 20 Nov 1949, with the following promotions - Lieutenant Junior Grade on 5 Apr 1953, Lieutenant on 1 Sep 1956, Lieutenant Commander on 1 Jul 1962, and Commander on 1 Nov 1966, the rank of which he retained until his retirement from the Reserves in April 1987, with over 39 years of total service.
While in college, Harry studied for and passed his amateur radio exam, and was granted the callsign W2TUK (now held by his son), to the delight of his father, W2GG. As a member of the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS), he held the call sign of AF2TUK. He stated that he practiced Morse Code when he was 10 years of age with a friend, reaching a proficiency of 40 to 50 words per minute. He later received the callsign W2HD.
After graduating college in 1950, Harry was employed by the Sperry Corporation in New York, where he worked in radar and other engineering programs for almost 40 years. During that time, he and more that 200 other amateur radio operators that worked at Sperry operated in the club station during their lunch periods, under the callsign W2YKQ. He met his wife, Kay Comtess, an engineering clerk at Sperry, and they were married in 1952. In retirement, they moved to Charlottesville, Virginia.
A Life Member of the American Radio Relay League, Harry held a number of volunteer appointments in the ARRL Field Organization - Official Relay Station (ORS); Official Phone Station (OPS); Official Observer (OO), and Emergency Coordinator (EC). Later, he was a Volunteer Examiner (VE). Prior to being elected President of the American Radio Relay League in 1972, a position he held for five consecutive 2-year terms, he had held a number of other elected positions with the ARRL - Section Communications Manager (SCM), Vice Director and Director of the ARRL Hudson Division. Harry traveled extensively to represent the ARRL, as well as for his position as US Representative to Region II of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). During his presidency of the ARRL, preparations were made for the World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) of 1979, which led to the worldwide allocation of the 12, 17, and 30 meter bands.
Harry was also President of the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA), serving from 1989 to 1994. To this day, he is the only person to hold both offices. On 22 January 2010, the QCWA announced his elevation to President Emeritus, a position similarly conferred to him by the ARRL in 1984. He was a Fellow in the Radio Club of America, a member of the Society of Wireless Pioneers, the Old Old Timers Club, and the Veteran Wireless Operators Association. In 2002, he was inducted into the CQ Magazine Amateur Radio Hall of Fame.
President Emeritus, American Radio Relay League
President Emeritus, Quarter Century Wireless Association
Retired Commander, US Naval Reserves (1949-1987)
Harry was born in New York City and graduated from Balboa High School in the former Panama Canal Zone, where his father was Officer in Charge of a radio receiving site. He entered the US Navy on 5 June 1944, less than 2 months after his 17th birthday, and was honorably discharged as a Radioman 2nd Class on 21 June 1946. He then enrolled at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now Polytechnic Institute of New York University), graduating in 1950. Prior to his college graduation, he entered the US Navy Reserves as an Ensign on 20 Nov 1949, with the following promotions - Lieutenant Junior Grade on 5 Apr 1953, Lieutenant on 1 Sep 1956, Lieutenant Commander on 1 Jul 1962, and Commander on 1 Nov 1966, the rank of which he retained until his retirement from the Reserves in April 1987, with over 39 years of total service.
While in college, Harry studied for and passed his amateur radio exam, and was granted the callsign W2TUK (now held by his son), to the delight of his father, W2GG. As a member of the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS), he held the call sign of AF2TUK. He stated that he practiced Morse Code when he was 10 years of age with a friend, reaching a proficiency of 40 to 50 words per minute. He later received the callsign W2HD.
After graduating college in 1950, Harry was employed by the Sperry Corporation in New York, where he worked in radar and other engineering programs for almost 40 years. During that time, he and more that 200 other amateur radio operators that worked at Sperry operated in the club station during their lunch periods, under the callsign W2YKQ. He met his wife, Kay Comtess, an engineering clerk at Sperry, and they were married in 1952. In retirement, they moved to Charlottesville, Virginia.
A Life Member of the American Radio Relay League, Harry held a number of volunteer appointments in the ARRL Field Organization - Official Relay Station (ORS); Official Phone Station (OPS); Official Observer (OO), and Emergency Coordinator (EC). Later, he was a Volunteer Examiner (VE). Prior to being elected President of the American Radio Relay League in 1972, a position he held for five consecutive 2-year terms, he had held a number of other elected positions with the ARRL - Section Communications Manager (SCM), Vice Director and Director of the ARRL Hudson Division. Harry traveled extensively to represent the ARRL, as well as for his position as US Representative to Region II of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). During his presidency of the ARRL, preparations were made for the World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) of 1979, which led to the worldwide allocation of the 12, 17, and 30 meter bands.
Harry was also President of the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA), serving from 1989 to 1994. To this day, he is the only person to hold both offices. On 22 January 2010, the QCWA announced his elevation to President Emeritus, a position similarly conferred to him by the ARRL in 1984. He was a Fellow in the Radio Club of America, a member of the Society of Wireless Pioneers, the Old Old Timers Club, and the Veteran Wireless Operators Association. In 2002, he was inducted into the CQ Magazine Amateur Radio Hall of Fame.
President Emeritus, Quarter Century Wireless Association
Retired Commander, US Naval Reserves (1949-1987)
Harry was born in New York City and graduated from Balboa High School in the former Panama Canal Zone, where his father was Officer in Charge of a radio receiving site. He entered the US Navy on 5 June 1944, less than 2 months after his 17th birthday, and was honorably discharged as a Radioman 2nd Class on 21 June 1946. He then enrolled at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now Polytechnic Institute of New York University), graduating in 1950. Prior to his college graduation, he entered the US Navy Reserves as an Ensign on 20 Nov 1949, with the following promotions - Lieutenant Junior Grade on 5 Apr 1953, Lieutenant on 1 Sep 1956, Lieutenant Commander on 1 Jul 1962, and Commander on 1 Nov 1966, the rank of which he retained until his retirement from the Reserves in April 1987, with over 39 years of total service.
While in college, Harry studied for and passed his amateur radio exam, and was granted the callsign W2TUK (now held by his son), to the delight of his father, W2GG. As a member of the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS), he held the call sign of AF2TUK. He stated that he practiced Morse Code when he was 10 years of age with a friend, reaching a proficiency of 40 to 50 words per minute. He later received the callsign W2HD.
After graduating college in 1950, Harry was employed by the Sperry Corporation in New York, where he worked in radar and other engineering programs for almost 40 years. During that time, he and more that 200 other amateur radio operators that worked at Sperry operated in the club station during their lunch periods, under the callsign W2YKQ. He met his wife, Kay Comtess, an engineering clerk at Sperry, and they were married in 1952. In retirement, they moved to Charlottesville, Virginia.
A Life Member of the American Radio Relay League, Harry held a number of volunteer appointments in the ARRL Field Organization - Official Relay Station (ORS); Official Phone Station (OPS); Official Observer (OO), and Emergency Coordinator (EC). Later, he was a Volunteer Examiner (VE). Prior to being elected President of the American Radio Relay League in 1972, a position he held for five consecutive 2-year terms, he had held a number of other elected positions with the ARRL - Section Communications Manager (SCM), Vice Director and Director of the ARRL Hudson Division. Harry traveled extensively to represent the ARRL, as well as for his position as US Representative to Region II of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). During his presidency of the ARRL, preparations were made for the World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) of 1979, which led to the worldwide allocation of the 12, 17, and 30 meter bands.
Harry was also President of the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA), serving from 1989 to 1994. To this day, he is the only person to hold both offices. On 22 January 2010, the QCWA announced his elevation to President Emeritus, a position similarly conferred to him by the ARRL in 1984. He was a Fellow in the Radio Club of America, a member of the Society of Wireless Pioneers, the Old Old Timers Club, and the Veteran Wireless Operators Association. In 2002, he was inducted into the CQ Magazine Amateur Radio Hall of Fame.
