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

[Thomas Roscoe]

I just got a phone call from Barb, W8GFG's wife. She said to check the 
Sharon Harold newspaper tomorrow, Sunday. Drew will be at Flynn Funeral 
Home in Hermitage, PA next week. There will be a service. She wasn't 
sure on the details. She said probably Wednesday or Thurdsay from 7 - 9:00.
Tom K8CX

Glen Clark wrote:

> 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
>