[SEDXC] Fwd: Fw: RAST News #47 - John C. "Chester" Lunsford SK

[Sandy Donahue]

--- Sandy Donahue <w4ru@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> From: "Sandy Donahue" <w4ru@bellsouth.net>
> To: "Sandy Donahue W4RU" <w4ru@Yahoo.com>
> Subject: Fw: RAST News #47 - John C. "Chester"  Lunsford SK
> Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 22:18:26 -0400
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Larry E Price" <LPrice@IARU.org>
> To: <w4ru@bellsouth.net>; <w4rh@arrl.org>
> Cc: <w4ri@arrl.org>; "David Sumner-IARU Sec'y" <k1zz@arrl.org>
> Sent: Monday, April 08, 2002 10:00 PM
> Subject: Fw: RAST News #47 - John C. "Chester" Lunsford SK
> 
> 
> >
> > |
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> > |
> > | I am very sad to report that today I received a phone call from
> Marian
> > | "Pab" Blakelock, N4PJF, his aunt, telling me that Retired
> Department of
> > | State Communications Technician John C. "Chester" Lunsford,
> > | W4EVG/XV5AC/HS1AIV, died Friday April 5, 2002 in his hometown of
> Sasser,
> GA
> > | at the age of 66.  He had cancer.  He is survived by his XYL
> Giselle,
> N4PBO.
> > |
> > | Chester was a familiar presence on the air in Southeast Asia in
> the
> 1970's
> > | with his calls XV5AC and HS1AIV.  He was the person principally
> responsible
> > | for getting Viet Nam back on the air in 1971 after a long absence
> from
> the
> > | amateur bands, thanks to arranging high-level intervention on his
> behalf
> by
> > | U. S. Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker, who found that Amateur Radio
> was the
> > | only way he, stationed in Viet Nam, could communicate by voice
> with his
> > | wife, Carol Laise, who was the U. S. Ambassador to Nepal at the
> > | time.  There was no telephone service between Viet Nam and Nepal
> in
> those
> > | days.  Working quietly, Lunsford managed to equip the legendary
> Father
> > | Marshall Moran, 9N1MM, with a VHF link from Father Moran's shack
> to the
> > | American Embassy in Kathmandu.  Utilizing a MARS station at Ton
> Son Nhut
> > | Air Base in Saigon on the amateur bands as XV5AC, Chester linked
> Ambassador
> > | Bunker with his XYL by phone patch with Kathmandu through Father
> Moran
> on
> > | 14320, the Southeast Asia Net (SEANET) frequency.  When
> Ambassador
> Bunker
> > | said: "John, that was great.  When can we do it again?" Chester
> answered
> > | that there was one problem -- he had no Vietnamese ham radio
> > | license.  Ambassador Bunker called the Embassy's Administrative
> Counsellor
> > | into his office and in short order Chester had his license and
> Ambassador
> > | Bunker had his weekly chit-chat with his wife.
> > |
> > | There was still one problem -- Viet Nam remained on the ITU
> banned list
> so
> > | US hams were not legally able to work XV5AC.  On a brief official
> trip
> back
> > | to Washington, Chester visited then-FCC Chief Engineer Ray
> Spence,
> W4QAW,
> > | and explained the situation.  The problem was soon resolved.
> > |
> > | Chester  participated in one of the first DXpeditions to the
> Spratly
> > | Islands, 1S1A, in February of 1973, along with Pete Pedersen,
> HS4AGN
> (now
> > | N5TP), the late, great Don Riebhoff, K7ZZ/K7CBZ, Scotty Gantt,
> WB4VBY
> and
> > | Frank Ostrich, WB4UZP.
> > |
> > | This hits pretty close to home for me, as I was one of the ops
> who had
> the
> > | privilege of manning the mike and key of XV5AC thanks to
> Chester's
> > | initiatives.  Thanks to Lunsford's recommendations I also hired
> WB4UZP
> to
> > | be my finance officer during the time I was Chief of the Wire
> Room for
> the
> > | U.S. Information Agency.
> > |
> > | RIP Chester;  your old friends will really miss you.
> > |
> > | 73, Fred Laun, K3ZO
> > |
> > | -------------------------------------------------------
> > |
> > | Ray Gerrard
> > | International Secretary
> > | Radio Amateur Society of Thailand
> > | Under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King
> > |
> > | Home Telephone Number +66 37 328 041
> > | Home Fax Number +66 37 328 042
> >
> 


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