Yesterday we received the very sad news that George Dobbs, G3RJV has died.
I think it is no exaggeration to say that with George's passing, we have lost our spiritual and philosophical leader. The founder of the G-QRP Club and Editor of our beloved SPRAT journal, George took his strong technical skills and his talent for writing and combined it with the wisdom about life that came from his religious vocation. He was a prolific writer and speaker, and in all his work you will find a unique combination of the technical and the philosophical. Not only did he teach us how to build our own rigs, but he taught us why we should build them.
We talk a lot about tribal knowledge -- George was definitely the source of much of that. But he went beyond that and also became a major source of what we can call tribal wisdom. He was one of our tribal elders. Instead of speaking to the tribe around a roaring fire, George spoke to us through SPRAT, through articles in other ham magazines, through his books, and through his talks at rallies and hamventions, many of which have been preserved in YouTube videos. George's friend Tony Fishpool sent us the one embedded below.
We are of course very sad to see George go, but we can all take comfort in the fact that he will -- through his writings and through his recorded talks -- remain with us. For years to come people who feel a strange urge to build their own radio equipment will find themselves reading George's work or listening to recordings of his melodious voice. They will find there not only the needed technical information, but also the encouragement and tribal wisdom needed to carry on. There will be a bit of George Dobbs in all their rigs. In that way G3RJV will stay on the air. And I know that George would be delighted by that.
73 G3RJV.
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I heard this. Sorry Bill. Unknown George was a great friend.
ReplyDeleteMuch love to his family and friends.
Sad day indeed. Makes you value your friends and mentors.
ReplyDelete73 Bill!
I love the "SMS" Morse code being sent by an attendee's cellphone starting at 7:11 into the video. Only a ham would have a ring-tone set to something like that to indicate an incoming text message.
ReplyDeleteI met the Rev. Dobbs several times over the few years I've been going to FDIM. I will sorely miss him.
Rest in peace, George, and may we see you in that CW pileup in the sky...
The embedded video "QRP - The Why and How" was a wonderful presentation I've listen all the way thru four times. Every time the talk arrives about the study of what jobs people were most satisfied with. 9/10 top positions were skilled tradespeople (blue collar) and the lone professional (white collar) were clergymen. His reason for the clergymen to be included in the top jobs cracks me up. You'll have to listen to the video I won't spoil it.
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