[NCC] Drew, W8GFG SK 03/01/11

[Glen Clark]

On Mar 2, 2011, at 11:47 AM, Tim Duffy K3LR wrote:

> K8CX and I were on the phone last night for over an hour – with the  
> awesome W8GFG memories,
> This weekend’s DX contest at K3LR is dedicated to the memory of  
> Drew, W8GFG.

I just want it to stop for a while.

Wes (W8IZC) and I just buried a friend from Girard that we worked  
with in
high school at the AM1540 in Niles.

Al Resnick, K3PXR, is having serious health problems.

And now Drew has gone SK.

Drew had a 1965 GTO that I almost bought from him in 1970. He and I  
connected
through other friends who were gear heads. Back before the Emlenton  
Bridge was
finished, the stretch of I-80 east of the Route 8 exit was  
technically "closed". But an
enterprising group of guys looking for a long, straight piece of  
concrete with no
traffic had no trouble getting around the orange barricades. Because  
it wasn't opened,
the State police did not patrol it.

I know...   hard to imagine a time when I-80 wasn't open yet...

Sharon legends like Billy Quinn, Mickey Dipretta and others would go  
out and make
a few bucks by making black marks on that fresh concrete. The total  
crowd on any night
was usually 20 to 30 people. There were usually about 8 racers,  
including Drew, and
a dozen or more observers. It really, really was a scene straight out  
of the movie American
Graffiti.

It wasn't until months later that I found out that Drew was also a  
ham. I think Bill Clepper
was the link there. I went over to Bill's house to look at his new  
Drake 2B and ran into
Drew there.

Drew and K8CX were also the contacts where I met Frankie Obermier. I  
wish I could
remember Frankie's call. (Tom? Help?) Frankie lived less than 2 miles  
from Tom.
Frankie spun out on the causeway at 100+ MPH right after passing Tara  
at 1 AM on
Christmas morning of 1971. Drew and I had a hard time keeping it  
together that week
at Frankie's funeral. Drew and I both knew it could have just as  
easily been us. I think
Drew and I both eased up a bit after that.

Tom, the top two photos that you posted on your web site tribute to  
Drew were mindblowers.
Sitting in front of the Hallicrafters HT-37, Drew looked like such a  
kid. I think that picture
really captured the enthusiasm that Drew had for life and for Ham Radio.

The second picture, taken in your basement, was also a trip down  
memory lane.

The last time I saw Drew was doing poppers with K3LR, W3JTV and N3RA  
at a restaurant
up on the west hill. I had just moved back from Atlanta. I think that  
was about 1994.

I know that Drew was always sad that they closed the Sharon GATX. The  
good news was
that GTAX liked him enough to offer him a job in their plant in Gary,  
Indiana when they closed
Sharon. SO he wasn't out of a job. But the bad news was that he  
didn't live near his family and
old friends any more.  :(

Where does the time go?

- Glen