Hello SBARC Members: (Sorry, sent incomplete version accidentally)

I was saddened to read the obituary of Walter Haake, W6YJE, in todays S.B. News-Press. He passed away on 21 November 2009, one month short of his 88th birthday.

Probably none of you newer/younger hams had ever met Walter, but he was a mainstay of the radio club in years gone by.  For many years, he was in charge of the SBARC Bazaar which back then was held in the auditorium near Cathedral Oaks and Route 154.

He priced everything himself, and I finally complained to him that the fixed price items would never sell at his prices.  His explanation was that he wanted to buy them all himself, so he inflated the prices for that purpose.  He was a man of character, and would never "steal stuff off of the top" for his own personal use.

The storage units he built at his house were legendary, and the amount of electronic "junque" he accumulated over the years was almost unbelievable.  His back yard was a steep hill, and he had storage units that looked like battlefield bunkers recessed into the hillside.  He tended to collect things for future projects, but I never figured out what he was going to do with 4 WW-II BC-610 plate transformers......

For you younger hams, the BC-610 was a 500 watt AM transmitter that used a 2,500 Vdc transformer that probably weighed about 75 pounds. Walt wouldn't let us help him move them, he did it himself by lifting the xformer about 1/2" off of the ground and taking one side-step at a time.

I have only reminisced about one small portion of his activities, I'm sure that you other old timers also have fond memories of Walter.

So goodbye old friend...........

Bill Gross WB6WCW (which is how Walt knew me)