SB QST @ ARL $ARLB065 ARLB065 Gerry Mathis, W3GM, SK ZCZC AG65 QST de W1AW ARRL Bulletin 65 ARLB065 From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT November 4, 1997 To all radio amateurs SB QST ARL ARLB065 ARLB065 Gerry Mathis, W3GM, SK Former EPA SCM William G. ''Gerry'' Mathis, W3GM, SK Former Eastern Pennsylvania Section Communications Manager Gerry Mathis, W3GM, of Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, has died. He was 86. Atlantic Division Director Kay Craigie, WT3P, reports Mathis passed away in late October. As W3BES, the call sign he earned in 1930, Mathis was ARRL SCM for Eastern Pennsylvania from the late 1930s until 1951. When the Ohio River flooded in 1937 and a detachment of Philadelphia police was sent to Louisville to help, W3BES acted as a relay station to keep Philadelphia in touch with Louisville. Some of his transmissions were broadcast over local radio station WFIL to keep the public informed about the disaster. Mathis' professional life also revolved around electronics and radio. He was employed by a number of different radio-related companies. Many hams remember him from Consolidated Radio, where he built custom transmitters for various prominent Amateurs. During World War II, he was active in the War Emergency Radio Services (WERS) and then went to the First Fighter Command to organize the air-to-ground communication. He was a member of the Frankford Radio Club and constructed a multi-multi contest station where he trained many club members in the art of contesting. He also was a long-time ARRL member. In 1991, the ARRL Atlantic Division honored Gerry Mathis with the Grand Ole Ham award. This award recognizes outstanding hams for a lifetime of service to others. NNNN /EX