The AM Forum

The band went long tonight and I checked into a Florida AM net on 3.885. Learned Woody is now a SK as of Tuesday night. He was 82. He ran a three or four wire beam on 40 and was on very often. I'm sure some of you out there worked him.

Terry has this been confirmed ?
I sure would hate for it to be a rumor, but it's far worse if true.

Woody has been a real survivor, having lived through Hurricane Andrew where he lost his entire home. He built an extremely fortified structure when he moved to Punta Gorda, and this served him well when Rita and Katrina moved through.

We were very worried about him in those storms since it was quite a while before our callouts to check on him were responded to, with word he was okay.

I last spoke with him on 40m about a month ago.  He sounded a little melancholy, frankly, wanting to talk but not thinking of much to say. That was a different demeanor than all the hours we had enjoyed together in recent years, and I noted it, but didn't think more of it.

If it is true we have lost him, I will greatly miss his rich baritone, and warm, powerful signal from Florida:

http://amfone.net/audio/K4CR-40M-Jun2002.wav

Maybe I should not have posted this. It was the talk of the net that I was involved with. There were many older seasoned hams that all knew him and it was the talk of the net. If it was untrue, then a cruel hoax has been committed. I don’t believe the caliber of the people that I was in QSO with would perpetrate such a thing. . A member of his family called someone on the net and said that Woody died peacefully in his sleep.

Over the years I have talked with him at least ten times on 40. In fact he was just on last week.

It will be up to someone else to confirm his passing other than what I had heard on the net. So this post may be removed if considered inappropriate.

Terry

It's one of those things I don't want to believe, Terry, no problem.

Paul,
       I was listening to that net last night (while working at the bench) and heard the same news. I was saddened to hear it as well. The net controller (w4gcn) announced that he had passed peacefully in his sleep, bud didnt elaborate on what he died from. It was the  "gulf coast am net"

The band was extremely long early in the evening, I was hearing those guys at +20 at 7:00 PM. I could hear them acknowledge Terry's call, but I was unable to hear Terry at all, I couldnt even detect his carrier!
                                                                the Slab Bacon

Yeah, I was listening too...  I think it was WW9W who brought the subject up.
Didn't hear Terry at all here, he must have been on a PW radio !!

Not to make a joke of the topic but Ralph, I love that avatar!
That thing makes me chuckle every time I see it.

If true, this a quite a bummer. Woody has been a fixture on 40 meters for a long time. I've worked him many times in the evenings over the years. He will be missed.