William "Red" T. Free, N3TG (SK)
  6 October 1943 - 21 October 2021
William T. Free was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1943 and grew up in Louisiana and Arkansas. He graduated from Kirkwood High School in Missouri and then from Rice University in Houston, Texas in 1965. 

He served in the US Navy as a Supply Corps Officer for 28 years. His initial five years were on active duty and included assignments to new construction vessels, the USS William H. Standley (DLG-32) and USS Hammerhead (SSN 663), and to the Fleet Material Support Office in Mechanicsburg, PA.  He then served in the active Navy Reserve until retiring in 1993 as a Captain.

Beginning in 1970, he worked in the insurance industry.  First for Northwestern Mutual, then the American Society of Chartered Life Underwriters, and then the Life Underwriter Training Council.  Finally he returned to Northwestern Mutual.  He concurrently served on many Board positions in state and local associations.

He had many other interests including:
  Amateur radio
  Boy Scouts
  Liturgical ministry
  Election officiating for the Fairfax County Office of elections as part-time staff and volunteer.
  Golfing (in 34 of the 50 states)



Incidentally, some called him "Red."  Some called him "Bill." 
Red was originally licensed as an amateur radio operator at the age of 14.


1958. KN0PFF: First licensed as a NOVICE while living at 1511 Lark Av, Kirkwood, MO.

1959. K0PFF: Call sign change indicated he was no longer a Novice, i.e., the "N" was removed from the call sign.  He probably became a TECHNICIAN.

1964. W5NGG: His call sign changed upon his   move to 2240 W. Alabama G, Houston Texas.  At the time, the FCC required the number in the call sign to match the call area of residence.

1967. W5NGG: He upgraded to the GENERAL license class.

1968. W4SXN: His call sign changed upon a move to 671 Antrim Dr, Newport News, VA  23601.

1970. W3FTG: His call sign changed upon a move to QTRS C1, Naval Supply Depot, Mechanicsburg PA 17055.

1971. W3FTG: He moved to 1394 Letchworth Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011.

1972.  W3FTG: He upgraded to the ADVANCED class license.

1975. W9NDS: His received a new call sign upon a move to W. 168 N. 9241 Grand Av, Menomonee Falls, WI 53051.

1978. W3FTG:  His call sign changed when he moved to 634 Meadow Dr, W Chester, PA 19380.

1985. W3FTG: He upgraded to the AMATEUR EXTRA class license.

1986. W3FTG: He moved to 3627 Great Laurel Ln, Fairfax, VA 22033.

1996. N3TG: He was granted a vanity call sign.
Red was a long time and active member of the Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club. 

He was listed as a member in 1997, which is as far back as SPARC records go.
He was the Trustee of K4NVA (the Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club call sign) for many years.  Concurrently he coordinated the purchase of name tags and other SPARC paraphernalia for members.

He was an Amateur Radio Relay League Volunteer Examiner.  A VE is a person who is authorized to administer amateur radio license examinations.  He served as the license examination session coordinator for the SPARC examination sessions since at least 2011.

N3TG was an active participant of the amateur radio Thirteen Colonies event.  He was one of the operators for the Virginia station K2B for 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. He primarily operated CW.

Bill lead the amateur radio merit badge operations at the 1985 and 1989 Boy Scout Jamborees at Ft. A.P. Hill.  This earned him a cover on QST.

While on international travel, he tracked down operators (in at least Taiwan, England, and possibly Singapore) to use their station for contest weekends.


His entire family enjoys amateur radio.

   His XYL is K3MAF (ex-KJ4EGY).
   His son is KC3YO.
   His daughter-in-law is K4FRE.
   His parents were KB4HGU and KB4HGV
       (silent keys).

June 2009.  Red helping out with ham radio support at the Herndon 5/10K races.

August 2009.  Red attending the annual pizza party at Joe's Pizza.
August 2010.  Red at the annual pizza party.

February 2011.  Red was the examination coordinator at the first of the recent tech class and examination sessions conducted by SPARC.  This session was held at the QTH of Gordon, NQ4K, and there were four license candidates, all of which passed the Technician examination.

 April 2012. Red, standing on right, checking the paperwork of a license candidate at a license examination session conducted at the Sheriff substation in Sterling, VA.
August 2012.  Red at the annual pizza party.


May 2013. Red checking license candidates into the amateur radio license session.  Red liked to keep things organized in his brown briefcase.
February 2014.  Red processing paperwork at an amateur radio license examination session.

January 2015. Red leading an examination session. Here he is setting up and awaiting the arrival of examinees at the Sheriff's substation in Sterling. On the right are other volunteer examiners: Mike, KB8RDN; Duane, K4UW; and Monte, KV4KS.

 August 2016. Red at the annual pizza party. 
February 2017.  Red checking over paperwork at a Amateur Radio License Examination Session.
June 2018.  Red at the pre-field day equipment checkout at the QTH of Eric, AJ4LN (on left). Red is in middle just to the right of the boy scout.

January 2019.  The last SPARC group photo taken at a Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club meeting before in-person meetings stopped due to COVID pandemic.  Both Adrienne, K3MAF, and Red, N3TG, attended.  Three other club members in this photo have also become SK.  Dick, W2YE; Ray, KD4RSL; and Gary, K4SRX.

August 2018. Attending the Annual Pizza Party at Joe's Pizza.
June 2019.  Red presenting the plaque for "Outside Virginia Single Operator CW QRP" at the 2019 Virginia QSO Party Awards Ceremony.
August 2019.  Red and Adrienne, K3MAF, at the Annual Pizza Party.