[NCC] K3TUP, SK

[Tom Lee]

Fellow NCC Warriors:

I am very sad to report that, as posted yesterday, John Kanzius, K3TUP, died
on February 18 following a long battle with b-cell leukemia.  John was 64.

John recently received international fame for developing an RF generator
that, coupled with nanoparticle technology, may be the cure for cancer.  He
was described by Discover magazine as one of the world's 50 most promising
scientists, was listed by Reader's Digest as among "America's 100 Best"
("best brainstorm"), and was featured in a 60-Minutes segment on CBS last
fall.  As a result of his inventing fame, John was featured as the January,
2009 cover story of CQ Magazine.

But before all of the cancer-cure fame, before 2002, when John was first
diagnosed with cancer, John was an avid member of North Coast Contesters.
In fact, in 1989, when NCC's original dozen members first formed the club,
John was simply an accomplished DXer, an avid contester, and the glue behind
what held NCC together in its initial years.  (John, K1AR, profiled John in
that role in a 1990 issue of CQ.)

John was a classy, funny (sometimes impish), generous guy, and was the
energy, enthusiasm and funding that made NCC so much fun, both for its
members and for many other hall-of-fame caliber contesters who became John's
invited guests at his famous ham radio outings.  Those outings, which John
dubbed "Summerfest" and "Winterfest" (and, one year, "The Big One") were
legendary.

John was fearless when it came to radio and antennas.  I'll never forget his
calling to tell me how he saved his KLM 4L40 from heavy ice loading by
climbing his 100' tower -- during the ice storm -- with a water hose and
spraying warm water on the elements until the ice melted.  (I would not have
relished the climb down that tower.)  When he told me the tale I confirmed
what I suspected:  he climbed wearing Italian loafers.

NCC members K3LR and K5ZD each piloted his station in Erie to s/o DX contest
wins.  John had a first-class station, which included a 120' rotating tower
with stacks for 20-15-10.  John essentially donated that same tower -- and
its 6 yagis -- to K8AZ in 1994 when he moved from his "magic ground"
location in Girard, PA to a more upscale home in Millcreek Township.  When
the tower arrived in Chesterland, the 'AZ Crew dubbed it "the TUP Tower",
and that tower will be much used -- in John's memory -- in this weekend's
ARRL DX contest effort.

As many of you know, the K8AZ efforts in the forthcoming ARRL DX contests
have already been dedicated to long-time 'AZ Crew member W8KIC, whom we lost
to pancreatic cancer in December.  At 'AZ, we will now rededicate those
efforts to both Val's and John's memories and will strive to emulate the
optimism, the energy and the joy with which both Val and John approached our
crazy hobby of radio contesting.

As for the rest of NCC, if you enter the contest, when you post on 3830 and
when you submit your entry, please consider putting in the comment or
soapbox field something along the lines of "Dedicated to the memory of NCC
member K3TUP.  RIP John."

John is survived by his wife Marianne, his daughters Sherry Kanzius and Toni
Palmeri and two grandchildren.

A great light -- for NCC and for the world -- has gone out.  Rest in peace,
John.

de K8AZ