SB SPCL @ ARL $ARLX017
ARLX017 ARRL Honorary Vice President, Director Emeritus Tod Olson, K0TO (SK)

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QST de W1AW
Special Bulletin 17  ARLX017
> From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  November 15, 2016
To all radio amateurs

SB SPCL ARL ARLX017
ARLX017 ARRL Honorary Vice President, Director Emeritus Tod Olson, K0TO (SK)

ARRL Honorary Vice President and Director Emeritus Tod Olson, K0TO (ex-W0IYP),
of Minnesota and Idaho, died on November 12 after battling cancer for several
years. An ARRL Life Member, he was 83.
He began his volunteer service to ARRL in 1974 as the Minnesota Section
Communications Manager. He became Dakota Division Vice Director in 1976, and
then Director in 1982. In 1986, the ARRL Board
of Directors elected him as ARRL Vice President of International Affairs, a
post he held until 1990. He again served as Dakota Division Director from 1994
until 1999. The ARRL Board of Directors named him an ARRL Director Emeritus in
2000 and an ARRL Honorary Vice President in 2003.

Olson held a BS from the University of Minnesota, and an MPH from the
University of Michigan. He belonged to the Minnesota Wireless Association and
the Eagle Rock Amateur Radio Club. An active contester, he was inducted last
May into the CQ Contest Hall of Fame. Earlier this year, he entered hospice
care.

"Even through his entire illness, he was a positive force for everyone who knew
 him," ARRL First Vice President and immediate past Dakota Division Director
Greg Widin, K0GW, said. On the CQ-Contest reflector, former Dakota Division
Vice Director Hans Brakob, K0HB, called Olson "my mentor, my teacher, sometimes
 my critic, and always a true and steady friend," and said, "I feel like I have
 lost my brother." Former ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, knew Olson well and
offered these reflections:

"For young Tod Olson, 1952 was a life-altering year. He married the love of his
 life - and he became a radio amateur. For the next 64 years these two events
set the course of Tod's life. It is easy to imagine Tod's hopes and dreams as
he and Jackie began their life together, and to rejoice at how fully they were
met: Five children, a successful and fulfilling career, and community service
as the mayor of Long Lake, Minnesota. A lifelong interest in technology
influenced Tod's career as well as his choice of avocation; he retired in 1991
as Director of the Information Technology Department at General Mills.

"As he opened the envelope from the FCC containing his first license, it is
unlikely that even Tod could imagine where Amateur Radio would take him, but he
 tackled his new avocation with the same
energy and devotion as to family, career, and community. The Amateur Radio
community was enriched by his selfless efforts and his life was enriched in
return.

"As W0IYP, Tod soon began making his mark through local radio clubs and
on-the-air activity. His passion for competitive operating, particularly in the
 ARRL November Sweepstakes, led him in 1973 to be the founding editor of
National Contest Journal (NCJ). In 1976 he became K0TO. He was inducted into
the CQ Contest Hall of Fame largely on the strength of his vision for NCJ and
his willingness to do the enormous work that it took to launch, edit, and
distribute a print publication in the days before personal computers.

"Tod served on every standing committee of the ARRL Board and twice was
chairman of the Administration  Finance Committee. In recognition of his
extraordinary contributions the ARRL Board elected him as Honorary Vice
President in 2003.

"In retirement, Tod and Jackie divided their time between Minnesota and Idaho,
and it was in Idaho Falls that Tod chose to enter hospice and to spend his
final weeks with Jackie and other family members. His countless friends in
Amateur Radio send their condolences to the family and our thanks for having
shared him with us for so many years."

A memorial service will held later in Minnesota.

NNNN
/EX

)\/(ark

Always Mount a Scratch Monkey
Do you manage your own servers? If you are not running an IDS/IPS yer doin' it
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... Etiquette: Saying "No, thank you," when you want to yell, "GIMME!!!"
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