ITU Elects Ham from US as New Secretary General

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The International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations agency that coordinates telecommunications operations globally, has elected an amateur radio operator from the US as its new secretary-general. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, KD2JTX, will be the first woman to hold that office when she succeeds Houlin Zhao on is 1st January 2022.

Her campaign page on the US Department of State website lists her deep involvement with the ITU, most recently as director of the ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau. The website listed her accomplishments in bringing about upgrades that better embrace digital advances, and that her work in the role supported global efforts to promote school connectivity and greater involvement of youth. Under her leadership, the ITU focused on giving youth more of a voice in strategy and programs.

She posted on her Twitter account on September 19th: [quote] "Immensely proud to be the first woman ever elected to the post of ITU Secretary-General. We've finally smashed a 157-y.o. glass ceiling! – and I hope this result inspires women and girls everywhere to dream big and make those dreams a reality!"

“Immensely proud to be the first woman ever elected to the post of ITU Secretary-General. We’ve finally smashed a 157-y.o. glass ceiling! – and I hope this result inspires women and girls everywhere to dream big and make those dreams a reality!””
— Doreen Bogdan-Martin, KD2JTX Twitter Account

104-year-old Radio Ham is on the Air

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104-year-old Radio Ham is on the Air

Oscar Norris W4OXH, of Gastonia, North Carolina, will turn 105 on 25th September 2022, and he is still on the air

Norris lost his sight when he was 24 in 1942, and it was his blindness that led him to amateur radio. He earned his license in 1949 and has been on the air for 73 years.

Tony Jones, N4ATJ, has known Norris since he was 14 and remembers the first time he met Norris. It was at a bicycle shop and Norris, blind, was still able to tear down a wheel, replace the spokes, and spin the wheel until it was balanced. Several years later, Norris gave Jones a book on how to earn an amateur radio license.

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New Advocate for Slow CW

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If you can’t get enough of joining CW groups and operating with like-minded individuals, here’s a new one that is offering contests, nets and other activities especially for people who don’t have their speed or their confidence yet. It’s a welcoming space called the Connecticut CW Club and you don’t even need to live in Connecticut (or even the US).

Membership is also free.

To kick things off, the club will have its first CW contest on 17th and 18th September 2022.

Connecticut CW Club - http://www.ctcw.club