[IRCA] John Bryant's Legacy

[D1028Gary@xxxxxxx]

Hello All,
 
As all of us express our deep respect and appreciation for John's many  
outstanding contributions to our hobby (and especially to our Ultralight Radio  
enthusiast group), perhaps the most appropriate way to honor his memory is 
to  follow his example of unselfish service to others.
 
Having had the privilege of cooperating very closely with John in the  
creation and promotion of our ULR group over the past two years, I frequently  
heard his concerns that although the group was growing rapidly and fulfilling 
 its primary objective of introducing this exciting form of AM-DXing,  the 
same core leadership group from early 2008 was constantly carrying  the load 
in providing service to the membership. John was truly a "giving"  type of 
leader for whom service to others came naturally, but he seems to have  been 
unusual in his motivating concept-- that the greatest hobby  pleasure comes 
not from one's own success, but in helping others to  succeed.
 
Based on John's superb example (and the unselfish contributions of many  
other ULR group leaders), our enthusiast group has certainly reversed the  
general impression of an AM-DXing "hobby in decline," and has grown at a  
phenomenal rate during these past two years-- introducing new DXing  excitement 
and enjoyment to hundreds of hobbyists around the  world. John knew that we 
had hit upon a "winning combination," and  took pride in how we were 
restoring the original thrill of DXing to our  membership. But he also knew that 
those successful in ULR-DXing,  antenna experimentation or other technical 
areas had a responsibility to  "give back" to the membership, and share their 
expertise with those who could  benefit from it. Many new members have been 
surprised when John  politely (but firmly) asked that they draft an article to 
share the  secrets of their success with the membership-- but this has 
actually been  a ULR group tradition since the very first days of our existence, 
and  probably the primary reason for our booming growth rate. We all have a 
 responsibility to "give back" to the membership, and in this essential  
priority, John certainly set a great example for all of us.
 
As we face the very unpleasant news of John's accidental passing, I would  
encourage all of you to honor John's memory by following his example. If you 
can  contribute technical articles of interest to our group (antenna 
experimentation,  radio modification, equipment reviews, etc.), please consider 
doing so. If you  have expertise in graphic design, John's untimely passing 
has left a need for a  creator of Ultralight Award certificates. Those 
successful in domestic and  international DXing should consider writing tutorial 
articles. If you  have had great success DXing with a certain radio model, 
please let us  know why it is your dream machine. Don't be concerned about the 
lack of  file space on the Ultralightdx site-- John and I recently agreed on 
a solution  for that. If you have interest in serving on one of the ULR 
group committees  (Definitions, Awards or Contests), please consider 
volunteering. Discover the  unique satisfaction that comes from "giving back" to 
others, and honor John  by following his unselfish example. We all have something 
to contribute--  let's show we really have learned this final "lesson," 
from one of the  hobby's greatest teachers.
 
73, Gary DeBock
ULR Group Co-founder
 
     
 
             
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