Tuesday, April 18, 2023
//s3.amazonaws.com/skins.funeraltechweb.com/tribute-gestures/v2/candles/material_candle_gold.jpg
Jim Pierce was a special person in Ham Radio in the Phoenix area. He took an interest with Dennis Campbell at organizing hams to provide world class communications for public service events. He was sometimes hard to work with, harder to get to know, but a person that I was able to called a friend.
For years he and Dennis Campbell would be the event coordinator for 25 to 30 events per year. Back in those days, we didn’t have much of a website, most of the coordination was done on the phone. It was a tremendous amount of work. In addition, it was hard to get hams because they worked in different clubs, and so with handful of hams, an agnostic group was formed apart from club influence called MCECG. His vision and leadership of MCECG produced a powerful organization that not only organized hams for public service but also trained them in the communications arts.
When he started to burn out on coordination, he picked some volunteers to become the next generation of event coordinators. I was honored to be in that group. He eventually stepped down from the leadership role and I stepped up into those big shoes. Jim still worked events as he had time, scolded me when I drifted to far from his vision, but ended up letting me drive his dream for a number of years. I think that was the biggest honor he could have given me.
Jim was a good man, who left an imprint on ham radio in the valley that I hope will last many decades in the future. He was tough, fair and talented and I will always remember him as a friend.
Rest In Peace Jim, we have the watch.
Rick - W7STS
