Via the ARRL: ARRL President Emeritus Harry Dannals, W2HD, SK

Harry Dannals, W2HD, President Emeritus of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®, died on August 30. He lived in Charlottesville, Virginia. In April, Dannals celebrated his 95th birthday and over 80 years of involvement in amateur radio. He served as ARRL President for 10 years, from 1972 – 1982, and his President Emeritus status was conferred in 1984. He was also an ARRL Life Member.

In an interview, Dannals said that when he was 10 years old, he practiced Morse code with his best friend and was able to master 50 – 60 words per minute.

Dannals served in the Navy after graduating from Balboa High School in the former Canal Zone on the isthmus of Panama, where his father was Officer in Charge of a radio receiving site. Eventually, Dannals himself would become the supervisor of more than 20 radiomen and support personnel. He was discharged in mid-1946 and attended Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now Polytechnic Institute of New York University), where he prepared for his amateur radio license.

In writings shared by one of his children, Dannals wrote, “I found a way to prepare for my amateur license by doing a research paper for an English class using amateur radio as a resource. Among my references was the American Radio Relay League’s (ARRL) Radio Amateur’s Handbook with the latest ARRL license manual on the side! It worked, and my call sign, W2TUK, was received that year with a great deal of joy by me and my dad.”

Read more – via American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources http://www.arrl.org/news/view/arrl-president-emeritus-harry-dannals-w2hd-sk