Why is this page here?
It's very simple. KØPXY was originally my Elmer who became my lifelong friend beginning nearly 44 years ago. Jim was one of my elmers when I was first licensed as a novice (KNØWEP)in 1959 as a 15 year old farm kid from the relative "sticks" of the heartland of America in central Nebraska. He helped me get my first transmitter on the air which was a Heath DX40 which I had built and which didn't work well due to some cold solder joints and other things he found. It worked fine when Jim was done helping me. Then when I got my Conditional Class and became KØWEP in the spring of 1960 and built a Heath VFO, he again helped me get that running so I could get on the general class bands, which at that time was everything on HF.

Jim was a initially my Elmer who became my lifelong friend and I will never forget the constructive impact he had on my life. His help with my initial ham station and elmering during that period helped lead a teenaged farm kid down a life-long career path that I might not have pursued if I had not had his help in succeeding with the amateur radio hobby. Vern, W5UYF, (then KØEFB) deserves some credit for that as well as he not only helped KØPXY get his novice, he also helped me get my novice. KØPXY became my elmer after Vern moved away.

Jim was an example of what we now call "America's greatest generation". He was a World War 2 veteran who served with the US Navy at Utah Beach on D-Day, then later in the Pacific theatre. While he did not talk about it much with me, he did tell me some things about D-Day and what caused him to conclude he had a "guardian angel" that day. Jim was one of those millions of veterans who we should thank for preserving the freedoms we have enjoyed because of their willingness to risk it all in defense of our country.

KØPXY was a "mover and shaker" in many areas of the hobby in the central Platte valley of Nebraska. He helped numerous people get started and grow in the hobby. He was the classic old-time ham who built equipment, tried many aspects of the hobby, helped others, and continued to grow and help others do so as well. He left a vivid impression with nearly everyone he met.

These are some of the basic reasons I have created this site. Jim's help to me as a teenager had a greater impact on my life direction than nearly anyone outside my immediate family. I want him to be remembered for who he was and what he represented. He was my friend.