"We can't honor Bart enough of the good he has done in this area.
He finds the wonder in ordinary things and brings the history of St. George to life.

-Karl Brooks, former St. George City Mayor

Bart Anderson, K7EDU, will entertain and educate the club members and other attendees of the February DARC meeting with one of his ledgendary Bart's talks. Bart will present a slide show and talk about "Strange Places".  Bart's talks are always a real treat to experience!

"Ranger" Bart Anderson has been called "one of Dixie's greatest natural resources" by former St. George City Mayor Karl Brooks. He has become such a fixture in the St. George area that it surprises people to learn that St. George was not always his home. His birthplace was in Idaho, but he was raised in Salt Lake City. At the age of three, he contracted polio, and his parents were told he would never walk again. His father, who was very athletic and a member of the U.S. Swim Team, would have none of that. Bart says that when he was four years old his father threw him in the pool and made him swim and he continued to make sure that he followed an avid exercise program. By the age of five or six he had already learned to compensate for the polio and could walk again. Even at the young age of six he was determined to turn this weakness into strength. When he was eleven, Bart's father arranged for him to work for the Boy Scouts as a guide into the back country, which he did every summer until he was nineteen. He developed a great love of hiking and the outdoors that still enriches his life daily. He has hiked across the Grand Canyon (no small feat) and every other canyon and glen he can find.

Bart eventually attended the University of Utah pursuing a degree in English Literature. While also participating in ROTC and preparing to join the Navy, he got sidetracked and worked part-time drawing blood, he says, to make some extra cash to buy a boat. He became very interested in the field and switched his major to Laboratory Medicine. While doing an internship, he met Dr. Craig Booth in the forensics lab, which is where he heard a lot of stories about Dixie. He eventually received his degree as a Specialist in Hematology.

Bart had a lot of adventures in his youth, and the truth of the matter is, Bart refused to ever outgrow his youth. The adventures are continuing. He traveled the world as a member of UTD and was employed for a time by the Howard Hughes organization (lots of cloak and dagger adventures there!).  Lured to St. George by year-round hiking and a desire to learn the history of the Mountain Meadow Massacre, Bart followed a close friend (Gene Latimer, M.D.) to Southern Utah and sought out the well-known, Juanita Brooks who helped us with his love of history grew to a passion. Her son, Karl Brooks, (former St. George City Mayor), says that Bart and his mother have a special fondness and found a kindred spirit in one another. Bart felt that in St. George he had found a bonanza. He spent many hours interviewing "old timers" where the history of the area sprang alive in his soul.

Several years ago, Bart decided to blend hiking with history by giving walking tours in downtown St. George. He then began a series of history lectures for which he has developed over ninety slide programs in his repertoire. Many days (and most evenings) Bart can be found speaking and sharing his love of Dixie to various groups. His weekly Saturday hikes are equally popular, drawing both seniors and families, often numbering in the hundreds. Along with the exercise, the hikers learn the importance of history and nature and hear a lot of "Bartonized" stories and folklore in the process.

Some sixteen years ago, Bart married his sweetheart, Delorice, whom he calls "the wind beneath my wings." She supports his love of nature and history and accompanies him at most of his lectures. Bart is one of those people who can tell the same story the same way over and over again, so she has heard many of his stories hundreds of times.

Bart loves to perform and often delights his friends and audiences with one of his many memorized poems, such as "The Ballad of Sam McGee". He began learning these poems back in his days at Boy Scout Camp when all the boys would gather around the campfire and share their talents. Bart didn't think he could sing or play guitar, so he learned stories and poems that still captivates his listeners.

Bart has received much recognition for the time he devotes to learning and teaching the history of the area. Of special note was the first "Quiet Pioneer Award" given by KSL and the Day of 47 for his vast public service without pay. He was also one of only five people in the nation to be honored and awarded by Hilary Clinton as an Outstanding Volunteer.

If Bart isn't hiking or lecturing , you're likely to find him with his nose in a book or writing one of the many columns he contributes to the Spectrum, the Senior Sampler, and the St. George Magazine. He loves people and is very involved in the community. He has served on the Board of Directors for many organizations, including the St. George Chamber of Commerce, Southwest Symphony, Zion Natural History Association, National Area's Association, the Arizona Strip Interpretive Association, the American Heart Association, and the Folklore Association of the University of Utah. He has served as President and State Lt. Governor for the Kiwanis Club, and is currently serving as president of the Washington County Historical Society.
 

I'm working full-time on other aspects of the IRS demands including modifications to our wording in the Constitution and Bylaws that have to be submitted to the state and acknowledged to meet the qualifications imposed by the IRS incorporation process.

Here is a link to the website for the upcoming  Flagstaff hamfest  (July 4th).  Perhaps we can get a group of us together to travel  there and attend.  Temperatures in Flagstaff in July are very inviting compared to Utah's Dixie:  http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/Flagstaff/science/hot.htm

Merrill Barney from the Huntsman's World Senior Games  games has contacted me to assure him of our help again this year. I replied that we were standing ready.

Steve Jeppson, N7WWV, will be moving and there will be a need for a team to take his place for the Marathon administration. The DARC Board will be discussing this.
 
The Sunday night net has a little different format as far as net controllers:
1st Sunday:    Harold Monson KC7NIT
2nd Sunday:   Steve (KF7HY) and Leila (KF7HW) Horne
3rd Sunday:    Chuck Hardy KD7RZF
4th Sunday:    Dan Sadler K3RKW
This leaves yours truly as net control for backup and for months with 5 Sundays.

I haven't heard from Ken Oliver in Cedar regarding a summer hamfest. More info to follow on this at a later date.  I'll be preparing a product review on the MFJ 1700 B- 6 way coax switch for next months newsletter.
 
73,  Dan W8EQA

St. George (DARC) area repeater info:
146.82 is still down. Casey Lofthouse and Dan Farwell attempted to go up to clean up repeater site
145.49 & 146.82 (repairs) but were turned back by a foot of snow.

146.91 is currently up but has been down due to insufficient solar power to run the Sheriff's equipment and the 146.91 ham repeater simultaneously.

The 146.64 is no longer associated with Simmons Media. It is located at Rocky Point instead of the 147.260 which is in storage at that location. It does not have an autopatch facility.(146.64)

Kanab area repeater info (from Gerry WA7RDC in Kanab):
Repeaters are 146,72 100 Htz sub. Located on Spencer bench. 147.30  100 Htz sub located Jacobs lake. 146.88 above the bluff in Kanab. Echolink 144.93 simplex in Kanab

NOTE:  If you have more current information on repeaters in the area, including surrounding areas such as Cedar City, Mesquite, etc. please e-mail that information to the Webmaster

I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1959 and grew up in the unincorporated community of Granger on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley. I grew up with many acres of sugar beet fields in our backyard. Much has changed in the Salt Lake Valley since that time. Kids today would not know a sugar beet if it fell out of the sky and hit them. That area is now incorporated as part of West Valley City. I graduated from Granger High School in 1978 (Go Lancers!) and later attended and graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Urban Planning in 1991 (Go Utes!!, Beat BYU!!, Utah by 5 !! ). In 1986 I married the former MaryAnn Partridge of West Jordan, Utah.

MaryAnn and I moved to St. George in 1993 when  I was employed by the Five County Association of Governments and am currently Associate Planner in the Community and Economic Development Division. My principal tasks are assisting communities with planning for and implementing community development projects.  I have been involved in the implementation of over $8 million of community development projects during my tenure with the Association.

MaryAnn is employed with Well Fargo Bank. We live with our two cats, Oscar and Sandi. Sometimes we think they let us live in their house. We enjoy the beautiful weather and scenic splendor of this area. We are also having a ball riding our motorcycles. MaryAnn rides a Honda Shadow Sabre and I ride a Honda Shadow American Classic Edition Tourer. She tells me her's is faster because it is orange with flames on the tank. Everyone knows that black bikes are faster.

In my ham "career" I was first licensed as an Novice Amateur Radio Operator during my senior year of high school (1978). I had a math teacher at Granger High School, the late Gordon Anderson who introduced me to this fascinating hobby. I was elmered by John Moellmer, WB7SUB, and Richard Williams, W7HBL. My first callsign was WB7WRE. I upgraded later that year to General and requested a change in callsign. I received the callsign N7ARE (The 1x3 "N" calls were new then). Over the next year or so I upgraded to Advanced Class and then to Extra Class.  This was back when you had to be tested in front of an FCC examiner.  There was the 20WPM code test and then all my nerves like gelatin but I passed! Since I liked it so much, I have kept the same callsign throughout. Couldn't ever find one that fit as well.  When I lived up north I was active in the Utah Amateur Radio Club and Utah VHF Society. I am glad we have a great club down here in Dixie and I see only good things for the future. I guess I need to crack down and apply for QCWA. Then I guess I can really use the term "OM"  in relation to ham radio. Geesh, it seems like yesterday when I was first licensed and still a kid!

I have enjoyed over the years operating HF, both CW and SSB (mainly QRPp), VHF (both weak signal SSB/CW and FM), and assisting in public service exercises.  I have worked 15 states on 2 meters. My Worked All States award on 40 meter SSB QRPp (5 watts input) was a real challenge.

My most memorable experience in my ham radio hobby came in December of 1983 when I was able to complete a "two-way" QSO with Owen Garriott, the 1st Ham Operator in Space. That contact made me the 1st Utah ham to work an astronaut in orbit.

I am happy that I am able to assist the club this year as secretary (plus webmaster and chief, cook, and bottle washer) and to help Dan out in his position as President. I appreciate all that Dan has done for the club and will give him all the support I can this year.

Finally, if you have any concerns or questions regarding the newsletter or the web site, or can offer some suggestions and/or submittals, please e-mail me at: n7are@arrl.net or call me at (435) 674-2678.

                                                     73, 
                                                     Gary  N7ARE