SB QST @ ARL $ARLB042
ARLB042 FCC Staff Member Steve Linn, N4CAK, SK

ZCZC AG42
QST de W1AW  
ARRL Bulletin 42  ARLB042
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  September 25, 2001
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST ARL ARLB042
ARLB042 FCC Staff Member Steve Linn, N4CAK, SK

The FCC and Amateur Radio communities are mourning the loss of FCC
staff member Steve Linn, N4CAK, of Lower Allen Township,
Pennsylvania. Linn, 50, and his wife, Lesley Ellen Nearman, 44, died
September 21 as a result of an automobile accident in Maryland. The
couple's two children survived the wreck.

ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, said he was deeply saddened by the
news. ''Steve had not only been a valued employee at the FCC but also
a good friend to the Amateur Radio community,'' he said. ''Having just
visited with Steve a few days ago in Washington, I will remember his
jovial spirit and dedication to the success of ham radio. Our
prayers will be with their children, Steve and Lesley's families and
all the employees of the FCC who will long feel this great loss.''

The couple's children, Deena, 9, and Andy, 12, were treated and
released at a York, Pennsylvania, hospital.

Linn was among the FCC staff members who turned out last Tuesday for
the ARRL ''Amateur Radio Demo and Education Day'' at FCC Headquarters
in Washington, DC. He and Haynie were scheduled to do a forum
presentation together at the Virginia Beach Hamfest.

FCC Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement Riley
Hollingsworth said Linn was well-liked by the FCC staff members and
contractors he worked with at the FCC's Gettysburg office. ''He was a
very, very nice guy, a good engineer and he had common sense,''
Hollingsworth said. ''He knew the value of Amateur Radio and saw the
big picture. Although he worked for the Wireless Bureau, the
Enforcement Bureau was increasingly relying upon him for Land Mobile
and Amateur licensing and technical matters. We will miss him very
much.''

An Amateur Radio licensee since the 1980s and an ARRL member, Linn
was deputy chief of the Licensing and Technical Analysis Branch for
private wireless within the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. His
supervisor, Mary Shultz, said called Linn's death ''a major shock'' to
the branch. ''He'll be difficult to replace as an employee,'' Shultz
told ARRL, ''but impossible to replace as a friend.''

Linn had worked for the FCC for about 25 years, the last six or so
years at the Gettysburg office. Among other Amateur Radio-related
topics, Linn frequently served as a source of information for the
Universal Licensing System and the Commission Registration System,
CORES. Linn spoke about ULS during the 2000 Dayton Hamvention FCC
Forum. He also was a presenter at local hamfests.

Services for the couple were held September 24.
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/EX