Our spotlight this week is on ARMS President Gerry Brunk, K4RBZ. Gerry holds an Amateur Extra Class license and was licensed in 1954. I guess fifty-one years of hamming would qualify one as an old-timer in the hobby.

Gerry is also an old-timer when it comes to being an ARMS member, since he joined this fine group in 1967 and has been president since June 2003. He says, "It has been a pleasure being with ARMS for neary forty years, and I am pleased the organization is alive and well."

When it comes to operating, Gerry is quite an achiever. He has achieved DXCC Honor Roll--a very significant accomplishment--and has 343 countries (now entities) confirmed. In addition to DXing, he enjoys participating in various nets. We're glad ARMS is one of those!

One of Gerry's hamming highlights was contacting the late King Hussein, JY1, of Jordan. As a result of that contact, he was invited to have an audience with thirty-five university students in the royal palace. Unfortunatley, that meeting had to be cancelled because King Hussein had to participate in a last-minute summit meeting in Amman.

The K4RBZ station consists of an Icom IC-756 tansceiver which drives an AL-82 amplifier. His antennas include a Hy-Gain TH6-DX six-element beam, a Crushcraft three-element beam for 17 and 12 meters, and a 75/40-meter dipole. No wonder he always has such a good signal. For two-meters in the house he uses an Icom IC-O2AT HT into a Ringo Ranger antenna. While mobiling, he uses a Kenwood 430-S on HF with a Hustler antenna. His 2-meter mobile radios are an Icom IC-2100-H and a Kenwood TM-261A.

Although it's difficult to see in the above picture, Gerry notes that the plaque on his operating desk has the ARMS motto, Galatians 6:10, on it. The plaque was given to him by our beloved former vice-president, Jay Sudenga, KØGAZ.

Gerry is married to Shirley and he has four sons born to his first wife, Janet, who died of cancer in 1980. Two of his sons are married, and each has two children. Shirley and Gerry spend a lot of time with their grandchildren. Fortunately, they all live nearby.

Gerry is a retired history professor at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. In addition to his teaching duties at EMU, he served for two years as a representative of the Mennonite Church in Cairo, Egypt during the 1970's.

One of Gerry's favorite Bible verses is Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (NIV).

Being the efficient ARMS president he is, Gerry leaves us with this reminder. "I look forward to seeing many of you at the 50th anniversary national convention of ARMS in the summer of 2007. It will be held May 25-27 at the Mt. Olivet Conference & Retreat Center in Farmington, Minnesota. Keep this in mind as you plan that summer."

Thanks, Gerry, for being a Christ-like example on the air and for serving faithfully as the ARMS president.

[ POSTED ON 18-JAN-2006; 03-JUN-2006 ]