It is my hope to continue to be involved in SCARC as much as possible. Time-wise, a trip to the college in Albemarle is about the same as from my home in Western Union County.  Of course now I am "well into" Davidson County. 

Please come up and visit sometime; there is a great place like Stanfield Family Restaurant and of course many barbecue places.

 I look forward to see you at the next club meeting.

 By the way, when I am out and about, I am monitoring the 145.410 repeater.                                                                                                                              73,
                                                                Lee - W4ALZ
                                                           [email protected]
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                                                               And From The New
                                                                  Prez - K3ON
                                                                     Sir John

A very Happy New Year to everybody.  I’m very pleased to be able to serve the SCARC  as President.  It seems that our January meeting started off as being one of the busier meetings that I can remember.  This Club has always been very busy and  quite active in the public eye.  And again this year it appears to be Keeping with the same kind of traditions.  We have a number of things scheduled this year, and we Never have too many volunteers.  So whenever possible please try to participate and bring a friend.  Everyone is welcome to our indoor, outdoor, radio, and eating gatherings.  And there are  a good number of get tog ethers through out the year.   Between the new club site on the internet, the monthly Meetings, the weekly nets on the radio, and all of the breakfasts and lunches,  it should not be difficult To keep up with when, where, and what’s going on.

This club was started with just a few people who shared a common interest in radio and fellowship.  And over the past 50 years the club roster has grown and many interests have grown also. In an on going effort, we as a club and individuals, are reaching out to support current hams in their projects and upgrades.  Also there is an ongoing effort to assist and guide those who may have an interest in becoming a ham.  And we all are willing to do what we can when it come to public service and helping our community.  This includes Fun Runs, Walk-a thons, Parades, And ARES activities (real and simulated emergencies), etc..  The Ham and his radio can be a valued part of our community.

Please join me in bringing your valuable time, knowledge, and fellowship and supporting

“OUR CLUB”, K4OGB  SCARC.and in turn  OUR CLUB  will continue to support the community.   I’m looking forward to another fun and successful year.  Also please remember Bill (K4VET) is heading up the celebration of our club’s fifty year anniversary in 2006 and will need your help in doing so.  .

                                                              73…Your President
                                                                    John - K3ON  

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                                                            From Our Treasurer
                                                             FINANCIAL QSO
                                                             January 15, 2006

K4OGB has ended the calendar year 2005 in good financial condition.  The club Social in December was doubly successful.  Every one seemed pleased by the food and service by Green’s Catering (thanks Ed-W4KMA), and the finances came out good.   Food costs were $428.00 including tax and the facility rental was $50.00 for a total of $478.00.  Meal receipts were $482.00.  We were four dollars ahead.   The sale of tickets for the regular door prizes (various) raised $58.00 and the grand prize (John-K3ON) raised $43.00.  This $101.00 from door prizes was a nice addition to the repeater fund.  The primary source of revenue for our club is from dues.  Other sources are from the monthly 50/50 drawing, the sale of promotional items (ball caps) and interest on the savings account.  We can look forward to another year of strength for K4OGB.  This will certainly be fitting for a 50^th anniversary.

                                                                               73
                                                         Bill K4VET  Secretary SCARC
                                                               EC Stanly County
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                                                                                     Christmas Party
                                                                    At New London

In my opinion, the party went very, very well.  Before I get started, special thanks to Bobbi Brattin for providing the table decorations and for providing her decorations as door prizes.  Bobbi we really appreciate your effort and the time that was required for you to put them together for our group.  Thanks to Ed (W4KMA) for him   arranging all that was required for the Christmas party, Good job Ed, I’m sure the club appreciated all of your efforts.  We had a total of 48 folks counting adults and children that attended the event.  This was the best turnout that I have seen at our Christmas party's in my years as a member.  My good friend Ed (W4KMA) put me in charge of door prizes.  When it comes to door prizes for the party, here is what we normally do.  The door prizes are donated by members of the club for our Christmas party.  This got started years ago when Ed (W4KMA) donated antennas for our door prizes.  No door prize donation is refused, no number of prize are required.  All door prizes most be working, no gag gifts, you just bring what you have to donate.  Keep in mind that buying a ticket for a door prize is one of the few events that all monies (except for the cost of diner) goes to our club repeater fund, while we are not money hungry this event normally raises about $40.00 a year to the repeater fund. Our normal monthly 50/50 drawing is estimated to raise about $78.00 dollars a year to the repeater fund. 

We normally charge $1.00 a ticket for the door prizes.  You may buy as many tickets as you choose.  We draw from the tickets submitted until all prizes are awarded.  This year we modified it to only one ticket per person (attendee).  We were not sure of the number of door prizes thus my intention was just hoping that we had a door prize for everyone that bought a ticket.  

 We also had concerns for our members.  We were concern that the increase cost for the dinner ($10.00), cost for the tickets for the door prizes and tickets for the 50/50 drawing, might stretch into the pocket books of some of those that were attending. 

 In the mean time John (K3ON) and Mary Ann (K4OFF) decided they would donate a ON/OFF, (pun intended) 10,000 candle watt flash light as a gift, with donations to go toward the club repeater fund.  Thus due to a nice donation we decided to waver the 50/50 drawing and replace it with what is now called the drawing of The flash light.  I ask those attending to set the cost of the ticket to either 50 cents or a dollar a ticket.  The group decided to set the cost to one dollar.

To wrap this up, everyone there received a door prize.  The flash light was won by the club Treasurer, Don (AE4AH) figure that.  The total money for the club $101.00 see Don's (AE4AH) report this issue for more details.  I believe that we had a very good turn out, most of those that attending seems to be happy and full of food when they went home that night.  I was extremely happy as everyone that attended, won a door prize.  Thanks to all those that donated door prizes.  The tickets were a dollar and regardless of what you won, I know that it was worth the cost of the ticket. 

 By the way those that donated door prizes normally shops around during the year securing the door prizes while they are on sale.  It takes about 10 months to find the good ones at Harbor Freight, so if you want to shop early you better start now. By the way we are out of our back up door prize, Johns (K3ON) famous scissors.

Those that attended: AE4AH - Don and Jean, Cory, Calvin &     AG4ZF Tom and Bobbi, Phillip, Patric 
K3ON & K4OFF  - John and Mary Ann    K4HTJ - Med and Annabella    K4MGA - Larry and Donna KD4RFU
K4VET – Bill and Dianne, Austin    KS4PG – Lane and Judy    KD4OZI – Paul and Rhoda
KD4RLH - Ed and Sandy     KF4HOP - Larry and Donna    KG4DVH - Bobbie and Larry 
KI4BWT - Bob Greene and Linda    KI4BWS - Scot Greene and Lori     KI4JDA - William  and Peggy    W4ALZ – Lee    W4EAT - Carl and Rebecca, Tod, Mason, Jessica    WA4CFQ - Alvin and Louise 
W4KMA – Ed and sandy    W4MLE – Micha and Jodi    WA4NLF – Robin and Ruby and Alton and last but not
least Tim Klutz   
                                                            73
                                                      Paul - KD4OZI
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                                             Why Did the Old President
                                                         W4ALZ Resigned?

As most of you know Lee (W4ALZ) resigned as our club president due to him changing Churches.  Lee is now the Pasture of The First Presbyterian Church in Lexington, North Carolina.  Lee still plans to stay active with us in Stanly County.  Lee resigned as our club President because he had concerns about not being able to making the monthly club meetings.  I would have hoped Lee could have stayed here in the area. When I complained to Lee about him leaving he gave me the option of running it up the ladder, you might say.   Well to be honest, I knew that Lee had already talked to the highest of all authority.  I knew who’s Lee’s source was.  I guess that many, many, talks were made between Lee and the big man before the decision was decided on Lee moving to Lexington.  .  I know enough that you don't challenge the big man.  His will, will be done.  The Club presented Lee a plaque for his 3 year plus as our Club President.  From all of us to you Lee thank for your years of service to the Stanly County Amateur Radio Club and thanks for being there when we needed you.  We will count on see you in the future.  I felt better when I found that it was Lexington, North Carolina, not Lexington, Kentucky.  Who would of thought that they were two of them.
                                                                  73
                                                      Paul - KD4OZI
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                                                       Weekly Post
                                                     By Mikell Frey
                                                       Staff Writer

Last June Stanfield resident Gerald Thomas opened Rock Hole Mower and Saw Service beside his home in an effort to prevent a vision problem he has dealt with his entire life from interfering with a craft he has learned and loved since childhood.
With the help of a $1,000 combined contribution from the Stanfield Lions Club and congregation of First Baptist Church in Stanfield, Thomas was able to construct a small repair shop for his Rock Hole Road business last summer, and is grateful for the community support he has received in getting things started.
“It’s been going pretty good,” Thomas said of his new business. “I can work on mowers, chainsaws, blowers, weed eaters and basically anything else that has a small engine in it. I’ve had people from Stanfield, Marshville, Midland and even a number of people from Charlotte bringing me things to repair, and so far I haven't had any unsatisfied customers. Everyone has been pleased with my work, and that’s what I want.”
Thomas was brought into this world with cataracts on his eyes, which left him totally blind until the age of two. He underwent a surgery to remove the cataracts at two years old, which recovered partial 20/60 vision to the young toddler and allowed him to see the world for a short period of time.
During the portion of his life when he had some vision, Thomas attended school and spent every waking hour of the afternoons and weekends working in his grandfather’s repair shop, learning the ropes. Thomas’ grandfather, Arty Leigh, was the owner of Leigh’s Chainsaw Service in Locust for many years, and took great strides in teaching Thomas everything he knew about the small engine repair business as he grew up.
“He just basically put me to it, and if I didn’t get it right he would come back and show me how to do it right,” Thomas said. “My grandfather really did me a big favor by putting me in there and showing me a trade. He helped me out tremendously by showing me something I could do.”
After working for a number of years at Carnes-Miller Gear in Locust and Cannon Mills in Kannapolis, Thomas found himself out of work when the cotton mill closed down and his sight began to worsen. In 1984 Thomas became completely blind due to glaucoma, a severe  disease in which normal fluid pressure slowly rises and kills the nerves inside the eyes.
With his eyesight completely gone, Thomas had no other choice but to file for disability and stay at home.
After moving out to Rock Hole Road nine years ago, Thomas found himself with no place to go and all the time in the world. With his wife, Renee, working full time, and his children, Jeffrey, Mitchell and Melissa, going to school, Thomas spent many days alone in his house with nothing to do.
He took a trip to the North Carolina Division of Services for the Blind in Charlotte in early 2004 looking for a dishwashing job or funding for a small repair shop he could run beside his home. The DSB connected Thomas with a caseworker at the Charlotte Lions Club, and soon his local congregation and the Stanfield Lions Club became involved in the effort.

Jim Misenheimer, president of the Stanfield Lions Club, was pleased that his group had a hand in helping with Thomas’ effort to get a business started, and extended an invitation for him to join the Lions organization last year as well. “We’re equally happy that he is a regular member of the Lions Club now, and that we were able to help him in any way that we could,” Misenheimer said. “He’s got a great attitude, and he wants to do things for himself instead of having people wait on him. He loves to work with his hands, and from what everybody has told me he does a pretty good job.”
Rev. Bruce League of First Baptist Church added, “We just saw a need and wanted to help him out. He doesn’t see his vision problem as a handicap, and I think that’s why he is able to do what he does. We’re all extremely proud of him.”
In his shop, Thomas does everything from repairing worn out lawnmower belts, to fixing bad spark plugs and cleaning out the carburetors of blowers and trimmers. Word of mouth has brought local Stanfield residents and numerous other people to his door with small engine problems, and has created a job Thomas knows like the back of his hand.
“With everybody gone, all I was doing was sitting inside the house before I had the shop. It’s hard for me to even take walks because I don’t know where I’m going,” Thomas said. “Having this place gets my mind off of everything, and gives me something to do outside of the house.”
Thomas receives shipments of parts from a business in Charlotte, and said that the key to running a repair shop with no vision is organization. He has every part and tool in a specific, designated place, which allows him to feel for everything he needs.
Although Thomas compares his vision problem to trying to look through a double sheet of wax paper, the lifetime experience he has guaranteed in the small engine repair trade has allowed him to do his job from memory.
Much like the problems life has presented him with, he can feel his way through the problems with broken lawnmowers and chainsaws and find the solutions any mechanic with normal vision would find.
“Gerald has said many times that there are not many things that he can do, but he can do this,” Misenheimer said of Thomas’ skill with repairs. “It may take him a little more time, but what’s time? It’s better than him sitting around being bored for five hours. If people try him out and they’re happy, that’s a double-win situation.”
Now that his business is off and running, Thomas feels he has a greater purpose when he wakes up in the morning, and is extremely thankful for the support he has received from the Lions Club, the Stanfield community and his fellow congregation members.
Of his determination in starting the new repair shop, Thomas said, “I don’t feel handicapped, it’s more of an inconvenience than anything. If I want to do something I’ll figure out a way to do it, even if I am blind.”
As for the future, Thomas hopes to see more people knocking on his door from the community with their small engine problems.
                                                       

Stanfield resident Gerald Thomas teaches his son, Mitchell, about small engine repair at his new business, the Rock Hole Mower and Saw Service. Thomas, who has suffered with vision problems his entire life, received financial support in starting a business next to his home by the Stanfield Lions Club and First Baptist Church in Stanfield.   Thomas works on a small engine outside of his Stanfield business. Thomas specializes in the repair of lawnmowers, chainsaws, leaf blowers and any other machine with a small engine.