He was a retired Air Force officer with 27 years service who resided in Manhattan since 1970.

He was born to Wave Dabner Waterman and John Henry Waterman in Morrowville, Feb. 20, 1919. As a young man growing up in rural Washington County, Roy had three ambitions: marry his sweetheart, fly airplanes and live in Hawaii.

Roy realized his first ambition by marrying his childhood sweetheart, Velma Irene Odgers, June 30, 1940, and they were together almost 60 years before Velma passed away April 4, 1999.

He accomplished his second goal in 1942 when he began flight training in San Antonio as an Army aviation cadet. After completing pilot training in the spring of 1943, he was assigned to the 12th Air Force, Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where he flew 53 combat missions in B-25 bombers in support of Allied ground operations in Italy.

Upon return from overseas he was selected for a regular commission in the newly established US Air Force, and was engaged in pilot training until being assigned to attend Kansas University to complete a degree in business administration.

With the advent of the Korean conflict he served with the Fifth Air Force in Korea for two years, and returned to the States for assignment to headquarters, US Air Force in Washington D.C. During his duty at the Pentagon, Roy worked in the Industrial Resources office where he was involved in the development of titanium as a material for aircraft uses, and the procurement and installation of heavy forging and extrusion processes for that metal.

Roy realized his third boyhood dream in 1954 when he was assigned to Hawaii as commander of Bellows Air Force Base. There he enhanced the base with rest and recreation facilities that remain popular with the military today.

He later served as professor of Air Science at the University of New Mexico, then returned to Washington, D.C., as deputy director of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and as a lecturer for the National Security Seminar, traveling throughout the U.S. briefing civilian communities on national security and defense issues. His last major assignment was as the senior US military advisor to the Korean Air Force in Seoul, Korea.

His military decorations included the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal and Bronze Star.

Roy retired from the Air Force in 1970 and moved his family to Manhattan where he was associated for several years with Manhattan's Chamber of Commerce.

Roy's first priority was always to be a dedicated husband and father. An avid reader, Roy pursued an amazing range of interests. He had an inquisitive and creative mind and was an accomplished woodworker, amateur radio operator and general "tinkerer." He was a man of letters, a man of character and a man of honor. And he grew great beefsteak tomatoes!

He was a life member of the Lafayette Masonic Lodge No. 16, and was active in Shriners.

Surviving family include four children, 18 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and one sister. Children include Charity Bushey and husband Max of Parker, Colo.; Fred Waterman and wife Marjory of San Antonio, Texas; Charlotte Francis and husband Bill of Kaysville, Utah; and John Waterman and wife Pamela of Mesa, Ariz. Also surviving is one sister, Wilma Wave Wheeler, of Salina.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children, P.O. Box 2778, Salina, KS 67402 or in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home 1616 Poyntz Ave., Manhattan, KS 66502.

A private memorial service will be held at the Washington City Cemetery, Washington, Kan., at a later date. There will be no visitation as the body was cremated.

Online condolences may be left for the family through the funeral home Web site at: Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home.

(information taken from The Manhattan Mercury)

Julie Louis (Applegate) Eichem, NØQIL, 67, Wamego, died Sunday, March 18, 2007, at her home. Joanie Cook of Abilene is a daughter.

She was born May 18, 1939, in Wamego, the daughter of Hugh Fredrick and Lena Margaret (Ault) Applegate. She attended school in Wamego. She married Donald Dale Eichem on June 9, 1956, at St. Bernard's Catholic Church, Wamego.

Mrs. Eichem worked for 27 years at the Riley County Public Works Department. She then worked in the Adjunct General's office for the State of Kansas for five years, before retiring in 2004. She was also the city clerk of Louisville for several years.

She was a member of the Kansas Emergency Management Association, St. Bernard's Catholic Church, Wamego Historical Society, Red Hat Society and the L.A.L. Club.

Other survivors include her husband, Donald of the home; two sons, Dan Eichem of Wamego and Tony Eichem of Belvue; three grandchildren; and other relatives.

Kermit R. Fairbanks, KBØEEF, 80, of Onaga died Wednesday, November 1, 2006. He was born on April 13, 1926 at St. Clere, the son of Lloyd and Marie Brunkow Fairbanks. He graduated from Emmett High School in 1944. Kermit owned and operated Fairbanks Motor and Electric, the Ford Dealership in Wheaton, and was also the mechanic there. He later sold Snap-On Tools for six years, then owned and operated the Green Light Parts Store in Onaga. He retired in February of 1988.

He was a member of the Kaw Valley Amateur Radio Club in Topeka and the Hiawatha Amateur Radio Club. He loved his country, the flag and animals.

Kermit married Marcella Jean Honig on July 4, 1948 at Duluth. She survives of the home. He was preceded in death by a son, Gary Fairbanks, who died June 26, 1980, a son-in-law, Rick Clements, and a brother, Lloyd Fairbanks. Other survivors include four daughters, Sandra Kay Brunkow, Emporia, Kathy Sue Clements, Washington, Iowa, Connie Jo Twiss and husband Kirk, Chicago, and Kristi Lou Forrester, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; two sisters, Rose Marie Kirk, Oklahoma City, and Della May Jones, Chicago; five grandchildren, Lori Hobbscheidt, Shanna Toms, Jodi Reed, and Rachel and Anna Forrester; and five great grandchildren, Samuel and Ava Reed, and Cale, Tatum and Oliver Hobbscheidt.

Roger Medlin, WØHLU, died on Jan. 1, 2004 in Manhattan. He was born on Aug. 5, 1922 in Kansas City, Mo., and grew up in Manhattan. He was married for 56 years to his wife, Donna. Roger served during World War II as a radio and radar operator in the U. S. Army Air Corps in Africa, Italy, China and Burma. He earned five Bronze Stars and attained the rank of Master Sergeant. Roger held B.S. and M.S. degrees in journalism from KSU. He worked for several newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal. He then joined the KSU College of Agriculture Division of Extension. Roger held an amateur radio license for 64 years, and was interested in antenna design and HF propagation. He was a member of MAARS spanning several decades.

Don D. Dodge, WAØQJW, 85, Manhattan, died Saturday, Sept. 21, 2002, at a Manhattan hospital.

Mr. Dodge helped redevelop Camp Funston at Fort Riley from a horse cavalry unit to a mechanized cavalry unit. He was a dealer of Aeronica private airplanes [and a pilot in his younger years]. From 1946 until 1952, he was a regional manager in charge of sales for Indian Motorcycles, and from 1953 to 1975 he was a dealer for Spartan mobile homes. He held the amateur radio call of WAØQJW for many years, and talked to his brother weekly via ham radio.

Mr. Dodge was born Oct. 22, 1916, in Manhattan, the son of Merle and Sue Moyer Dodge. He graduated from Manhattan High School and attended Kansas State University.

(information taken from The Topeka Capital-Journal)

William "Bill" Dawes, WØIPV, died on Saturday, March 15, 1997 after a 5-month battle with brain cancer. He was 58 years old (born in April 1939). Bill was on the Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty at Kansas State University. Bill was a very active ham as a young student, a college student, in Topeka where he worked for WIBW, and in the earlier days of MAARS, but recently he spent more "hobby time" in his airplane. Bill was very active in the KSU parachute club and often flew to their property in New Mexico. Bill was also active in a local electronics company, ICE Corp., that he and others started several years ago. Some of you hams will remember that Bill helped with communications for the 1996 World Endurance Horse Race, and impressed everyone at the 1996 KSU Open House with an impromptu demonstration of his CW skills at the KSUARC station.

(information provided by Norm, NØJCC)

Clifford "Cliff" Simpson, WØYUQ, died on March 11, 1997 in Wamego, on his way to the hospital after a sudden heart attack. He was born on July 26, 1913. Cliff had lived in the Manhattan area for most of his life, except for World War II when he worked at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. Cliff could be considered an expert in at least two areas: fishing and electronics. He had an outdoor radio show for many years, and kept up with the times in electronics. He taught classes in computers and recently gave a program on slow-scan amateur TV at a MAARS meeting. He was also very active with amateur satellite communication. There are many good stories to tell about Cliff. Ask Roger Medlin, WØHLU the next time you see him to tell about the big fish that almost sank the boat or about Cliff using the railroad tracks as part of this Ham antenna system.