It is with profound sadness that I report the passing of Bob Crawford, VE1REC, ARLHS member # 271, of Dartmouth, NS, Canada. Bob was 78. For those of us in the society that go back to the very early days of lighthouse activations, that call sign was, without a doubt, featured in all of our log books. Personally, I’m sure I have over 300 Canadian lighthouse confirmations attributed to Bob’s years of traveling all over Nova Scotia and beyond to seek out and provide us with a new one.
On most of his lighthouse adventures, Bob was accompanied by his wife, Elizabeth, who sat in the back seat of the car reading a book while Bob worked the airwaves seeking one more call for his log. Although based in Nova Scotia, Bob’s travels took him to other provinces in Eastern Canada, such as Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and even Quebec where he would stop along the way to put on a lighthouse as they traveled to visit one of his sons living in Montreal.
On the air, Bob was the model of decorum providing us neophyte activators a wonderful example to follow. I guess if there was one thing that was memorable about Bob’s on-air persona was his laugh. It was great to hear…loud, distinctive and absolutely genuine. Here was a man totally enjoying what he was doing and wasn’t shy about letting you know about it.
As years passed, it has always bothered me that Bob was never the recipient of the AOY award from the ARLHS. Recently the society awarded Bob a life-time achievement award and sent him this plaque seen below. Rest in Peace, old friend. You were an inspiration to many of us and are truly missed.
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- VE1REC with plaque
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- Plaque