[South Florida DX Association] [Fwd: FW: [brara] Passing of Chuck Ritchie W4BUG]

Mon, 16 Feb 2004 09:30:16 -0500

FYI,

----- Forwarded by Thomas F Lewis/Raleigh/IBM on 02/16/2004 09:29 AM -----
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|         |           Pete Brunet      |
|         |           <pete@brunetonlin|
|         |           e.com>           |
|         |                            |
|         |           02/14/2004 12:18 |
|         |           AM               |
|         |           Please respond to|
|         |           pete             |
|         |                            |
|---------+---------------------------->
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  |                                                                                                                            |
  |       To:       CTDXCC Reflector <[email protected]>                                                                          |
  |       cc:       Thomas F Lewis/Raleigh/IBM@IBMUS, Don W Williams/Raleigh/IBM@IBMUS                                         |
  |       Subject:  [Fwd: FW: [brara] Passing of Chuck Ritchie W4BUG]                                                          |
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  >----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Some of you may have known Chuck Ritchie, w4bug.  He was a great guy,
made a very significant contribution in the service of our country and
the amateur community, and was instrumental in inspiring a multitude of
hams.  May he rest in peace.

Pete ws4g

----- Message from "Frank Ettinger" <[email protected]> on Fri, 13 Feb
2004 21:47:12 -0500 -----

      To: "pete brunet"                        
          <[email protected]>              

 Subject: FW: [brara] Passing of Chuck Ritchie 
          W4BUG                                

Frank Ettinger
[email protected]
Why Wait?  Move to EarthLink.

> [Original Message]
> From: Willem van Dam <[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>;
<[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
> Date: 2/13/04 9:36:38 AM
> Subject: [brara] Passing of Chuck Ritchie W4BUG
>
> SK W4BUG
>
> It is with great sadness that I have to inform you the founder of our
club
> (K4FAU) Chuck Ritchie W4BUG passed away this morning just before 2AM.
>
> "Who was the Bug?" W 4 B U G
>
> He was referred to as the "BUG" and his handle was "Chuck", Charles
Ritchie,
> who lived in Boca Raton, Florida. He started out from Buffalo, New York,
and
> received his Amateur license in 1947, under the call of K2GRM. Chuck
moved
> to Boca Raton in late 1963, after retiring from the U.S. Army with over
> twenty years service as a Master Sergeant. While in the service, his tour
of
> duty was most interesting and a lot of Hams have asked: "Just what did
Chuck
> do?" Chuck started coming down to Florida and the Palm Beaches back in
the
> sixties with the White House Army Signal Agency during President
Kennedy's
> Administration. While on the White House staff, Chuck was in charge of
the
> Press Radio and Television section. While still on duty as Chief Studio
> Engineer for the Armed Forces Radio Network Station at Frankfurt,
Germany,
> he received orders for a White House assignment. This tour started in
1953
> under the Eisenhower Administration, and was on special orders from then
> President Dwight David Eisenhower.
>
> On a previous duty station, Chuck was the Recording Engineer in the
Public
> Information Office of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces
> (SHAEF), in London, England. He set up the microphones for the famous
> broadcast and recording of General Eisenhower's message announcing the
> landing of Allied Forces on the beaches of Normandy, France, on June 6,
> 1944, to the Allied forces, the people of the Continent of Europe, and
the
> World, over the British Broadcasting Company (BBC).
>
> Chuck used to tell of many personal experiences he had while serving
under
> two of the most beloved and interesting presidents of our time. His
candid
> comments would always expressed how personally proud he felt to have
served
> his "Commander-in-Chief".
>
> Through all of this, Chuck enjoyed his hobby of Amateur Radio over and
over
> again. Through Amateur Radio, he passed on the treasures of the many
friends
> that he has met over the Airwaves. Perhaps you have worked Chuck through
one
> of the many Amateur Calls he has held, including: DL4OR, SV0WK/SV5,
HV1OR,
> ZC6UNJ, K0YSL, and KP4AND.
>
> Chuck was the Founder and past President of the Gold Coast Amateur Radio
> Association, Inc. and in 1964 also founded the Florida Atlantic
University
> Amateur Radio Club, K4FAU.
>
> July 13 1999 was proclaimed Chuck Ritchie day in Boca Raton, Florida
>
> Sjaak van Dam, W4RIS
>