Mr. James A. Vineyard, KA7SSR, has accepted the position of Emergency Coordinator (EC) for Atascosa County in District 12 of the South Texas Section. Jim is recommended by the District 12 Emergency Coordinator (DEC) Ms. L. Ruth Lewis, KE5MHJ, and approved by the STX Section Manager Mr. Stuart Wolfe, KF5NIX. District 12 is composed of Atascosa, Bexar, Comal, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Kendall, and Wilson counties.
Jim has lived in Atascosa County since November of 1997 when he first came down from Southern North Dakota to pastor a church in Pleasanton. Jim has an eclectic history and education, having degrees from then Northwest College of the A/G and Faith Evangelical Lutheran Seminary. Jim is also a military veteran, having served in the US Army from 1975 to 1979, then periodically in the Washington State National Guard from 1979 until around 1987. It was in the National Guard that he picked up his electronics education.
Jim was licensed as a Novice back in the late 1980s with the Tacoma Radio Club as KA7SSR. He has kept the same call sign throughout his moves across the country from Washington and Oregon, to North Dakota, and down to South Texas. At about the same time (2004) that Jim worked with a couple of other Hams in Atascosa County to form the Atascosa County Amateur Radio Club, (ACARC) he tested for and obtained his General and then Extra Class Licenses.
Jim was the chartering president for the ACARC and held the post for about three years before finding another person to take on the role. After COVID, the club was down in membership and the immediate past president had family emergencies which precluded his continuing in the post. Jim was ‘strong-armed’ (okay, strongly encouraged but in a very nice and polite way) to accept election as President once more. He’s looking for his replacement among some of the new blood joining the club.
Jim’s employment has changed in the nearly thirty years since first coming to Pleasanton. Jim is now employed as an IT Support Specialist for a government contractor. Jim works remotely, which enables him to keep an ear on his radios as well as an eye on his computer screens (as his home office is also his ‘shack).
As part of his program to help rebuild and restore the club, Jim has taken the pathfinder role in getting ARES and RACES ‘qualified.’ Along the way, Jim has charged forward in studying a lot of emergency management and emergency communications coursework, again proving that, in Amateur radio, it isn’t rocket surgery!
Jim’s XYL (wife) Sheril is KE5MHL and is promising to work towards her General Class license, plus the IS-100, 200, 700, and 800 course completions. Perhaps if she reads this here, it will motivate her to finish them all up! Most important – if Jim can, YOU CAN!
This appointment is effective September 5, 2023.
Welcome Jim.
Regards,
Jeffery A Walter – KE5FGA
ARRL STX SEC, RACES 16-201-U