In lieu of their regular monthly December meeting, the Greater Norwalk Amateur Radio Club celebrated the holidays early, by holding their annual holiday party at the Laurel Athletic Club.
While Toy Alladin K1WYQ, Martin Diamond KA1WBN, & Sam Dick NV1P all helped to plan, members from GNARC hosted the party, & invited members from neighboring clubs, including the Fairfield Amateur Radio Association, the Stamford Amateur Radio Association, & the Candlewood Amateur Radio Association. In total, 54 people enjoyed delicious food, & a joint GNARC/SARA celebratory cake for desert.
Though the party was hosted & attended by HAMS, a few celebrities were there, one or more of which were non-HAMS (who are always welcome!!!)
Section manager Betsey Doane K1EIC was present, as well as State of CT Rep Gail Lavielle of the 143rd district (still unlicensed, but we can fix that !!). Ms Lavielle is an avid supporter of amateur radio, having gotten her first “taste” of the hobby, at “Field Day” at Vet’s Park in Norwalk this past June. Both Betsey & Gail gave short inspirational messages to those in attendance.
Awards & honorable mentions were made for those who had gone “above & beyond the call” (no pun intended!), or served the club honorably in the past, including Joe Hallas W1ZR, recognized as the former Technical Editor of QST, Rich Roznoy K1OF recognized as the former repeater trustee for many years, Paul Danzer N1II for being a newly appointed ARRL Technical Advisor, & Steven Simons W1SMS as the newly appointed ARRL Technical Coordinator. 2 Onyx crystals were awarded, 1 each to Tim Walker W1GIG & Toy Alladin K1WYQ for all their years of dedication to GNARC & HAM radio. Various other members won a variety of raffle prizes. Music for the event was provided by Diamond Entertainment Co of Norwalk. In other announcements, the nominations committee presented their proposed slate of officers for 2014: Sam Dick NV1P as President, Charles Lelievre N1LLL as VP, Martin Diamond KA1WBN as Sec’y, & Jim Francoeur KC1FB as Treasurer. Martin Diamond KA1WBN will also retain his position as Public Information Officer for GNARC, & will join the ranks of other PIO’s, under the guidance of Dana Borgman KA1WPM of the ARRL.
New, & returning members, as well as guests, are always welcome!!! The new year brings a change in venue. Starting with the (2nd) Wednesday, January 8th meeting, GNARC will be meeting at the new Norwalk Fire Headquarters building, on the same site as the old headquarters: 121 Connecticut Ave. The building is between Fairfield Ave & Cedar St. All who are coming should park on the Cedar St side ONLY, & enter through that door. Meeting time will remain the same (8:00pm). Those interested should listen on GNARC’s 2-meter repeater frequency (146.475) for the location of pizza beforehand (about 6:00pm). The (fire) station can be easily seen off I-95 by exit 14 (in either direction).
For additional information or questions, please call Martin Diamond KA1WBN at 203-554-5109, & check out the club’s website at “GNARC.org”.
Respectfully submitted
Martin KA1WBN Diamond
GNARC Sec’y & PIO
