QCWA VICE PRESIDENT & HISTORIAN JEFF BEALS, WA4AW (SK)

    Jeff Beals, WA4AW, QCWA Vice President and longtime QCWA Historian, passed away late on the evening of July 20th.

    Jeff had been hospitalized most of the time since January for cancer-related issues. He underwent several surgeries with very little improvement. He was in the hospital for several months before becoming a Silent Key.

    Jeff was also the ARRL Vice Director for the Southeastern Division. He served as South Florida Section Manager and other positions with the ARRL for many years. He had a home in Alabama, one in South Florida, and one in Central Florida. Jeff is survived by his longtime partner Myra Kitchen, K3PGH. It was rare to see Jeff at a Hamfest without Myra operating the ARRL or QCWA booths.

    I met Jeff over 40 years ago when I was an officer in the Broward Amateur Radio Club. He became a good friend and a mentor in all things ARRL and QCWA.  We saw each other at Ham Radio events all over Florida and Dayton for many years. Jeff was very knowledgeable in the history of radio, the technical aspects of operating and servicing all kinds of equipment, and keeping the focus on the fun, not the politics in radio clubs. We both were licensed at age 12; I got there first because I was a few years older than Jeff. He stayed licensed, but I let mine lapse a couple of times and had to retest. We both worked in the Insurance industry for years. Jeff has worked as a communications supervisor for the Florida Forest Service for many years. As an active Ham, he was involved in RACES/ARES and deployed for many significant activations like Hurricane Andrew and Katrina. He had an extensive collection of old radio equipment from the early days to more recently. We discussed plans to open a permanent museum with some of this stuff. If you had a question about anything to do with radios, Jeff had the answer, or he got the answer for you. We had lunch most months at the QCWA Chapter 111 meeting, often just the two of us at other times.

    Jeff was involved with starting many radio clubs in Florida, and we were both Life Members of the ARRL and the West Palm Beach Radio Group. He was President of the West Palm Beach Club many years before I was President. He was a member of many other clubs, multiple QCWA Chapters, and a Radio Club of America Fellow. His advice and input were always valuable. He was a true gentleman and always represented Amateur Radio Operators in the best way possible.

    It was a true honor and privilege to know Jeff and call him a friend.

    Memorial Services for Jeff Beals, WA4AW, will be held at 

The Beth Israel Memorial Chapel

11115 Jog Road, Boynton Beach, FL 33437

(Just South on the West side, just below the Corner and Woolbright Road)

Friday, July 26th At 11:00 AM

    Anyone interested in donations, please donate in (In Memory of) Jeff's name to the ARRL General Fund. The General Fund: Provides support to ARRL with a one-time donation. The ARRL General Fund supports ARRL's mission to protect, defend, and enhance Amateur Radio.

Link:  https://home.arrl.org/action/Donate/Donate-Now/CashProductId/115143

    You can also donate to the QCWA Memorial Scholarship Fund in memory of Jeff. The QCWA Scholarship program assists Amateur Radio Operators pursuing post-secondary education.   

Link:   https://qcwa.org/scholarship-program.htm

    Chapter 111 will be making a Chapter Donation to the Scholarship Fund.

Other links that have info about Jeff include:

• ARRL Southeastern Division Vice Director Jeff Beals, WA4AW, SK
• ARRL Southeast Division Vice Director, Jeff Beals, WA4AW, SK | QRZ Forums
• PSLARA.org
• QCWA Jeff Beals Memorial Page

47 & 73,
Tom Loughney, AJ4XM, SBE, IEEE, RCA Fellow

President, Quarter Century Wireless Association, Inc.
[email protected]  (And I'm good on QRZ).
ARRL VE Team Leader
ARRL & Laurel VE
ARRL & W5YI Instructor
ARRL Technical Specialist
ARRL Life Member