Bruce,
I've disagreed with your writings in the past at times--but this time I
agree with your points 100%. The folks I've dealt with at ARRL HQ and in
the Field organization over the past 40 years (and there have been many)
are top notch, dedicated people. I think they deserve a "break today".
Jerry
K6BZ
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> From: Bruce Sawyer <N6NT@worldnet.att.net>
> To: cq-contest@contesting.com
> Cc: W2CE@prodigy.net
> Subject: [CQ-Contest] Club Mgmt/ARRL Mgmt (was "Multi-Single")
>
> Straying FAR away from the stated subject line of "Multi-Single", W2CE
> recently opined,
>
> >You have to realize that there are people who attain some form of
> >position be it an officer of a large radio club or even ARRL position
> >that are experiencing the biggest influential position of their lives.
> >Few would be selected if they had to present resumes with business
> >qualifications.
> >Who do people elect to manage a corporation the size of the ARRL ? Does
> >anyone ask for corporate managerial experience or do you just shake the
> >hand of a guy with a big signal? ...These people are not gods...
> >Position and ethics don't go side by side.
>
> These are some sweeping indictments that cover a number of people I hold
in
> very high regard, and I am personally offended by these remarks. Overall
> management responsibility of the ARRL rests with the board of directors.
> The division directors (and vice-directors) with whom I have had personal
> contact invariably have had distinguished business careers. I'm not sure
> why W2CE should consider that such a necessary qualification, but the
> correlation here is quite strong. The staff in Newington surely must
suffer
> from the highest ratio of competence/compensation I have ever observed
> outside of a monastery. I'm sure there are exceptions, but the ones I've
> been privileged to know are NOT there because they are "experiencing the
> biggest [sic] influential position of their lives". They're there
because
> they love the hobby and want to give something back to it. I think we
> should be grateful there are people like them who are willing to take the
> responsibility they have, suffer the abuse they have to endure, and then
try
> to provide for their families on the salaries the league is able to give
> them. (The technical salaries in Newington are about 1/4 to 1/3 of what
> they could be making here in Silicon Valley.)
>
> Likewise, the people who belly up to the bar to accept elective office in
> our radio clubs are probably not doing it because they're getting their
> kicks out of exercising some kind of power they would not otherwise be
able
> to earn. They're most likely doing it because they feel it's everybody's
> responsibility to take their turn and try to help the hobby and because
they
> honestly feel they can make a difference. I spent one year as president
of
> NCCC and had fun doing it, but I don't think I ever want to do that job
> again. There were just too many people who felt I owed it to them to be
> their personal punching bag for whatever in ham radio it was that was
> irritating them at the moment. Just as in everything else in life, it's
10%
> of the people (who never come to club meetings, of course) who cause 90%
of
> the problems. That 10% can be really irritating, though.
>
> I'm sure there are examples W2CE could offer to try to prove his point,
but
> to generalize the accusation to include the set of people he did is just
a
> gross insult to a lot of dedicated people.
>
> Bruce, N6NT
>
>
>
>
>
>
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