One of the many benefits of being an ARRL member is it makes us members eligible for awards
Some of these are very prestigious awards.
One of these awards in fact a very prestigious one will be presented to a 17 year old young lady from Plano Texas
next month, in fact she will be the first ever North Texas Amateur to receive this award…..
Here is the Press release from one of her local Ham Clubs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Plano West Senior High School Senior Named Recipient of the ARRL’s 2021 Hiram Percy Maxim Award.
08/24/2021
The Plano Amateur Radio Klub (PARK) is pleased to announce that Katherine M. Forson of Plano, Texas, was named the recipient of the American Radio Relay League’s 2021 Hiram Percy Maxim Award.
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for Amateur Radio in the United States. Founded in 1914 by Hiram Percy Maxim, the ARRL is defined by five pillars: Public Service, Advocacy, Education, Technology, and Membership.
The Hiram Percy Maxim Award is given annually to a licensed radio amateur under the age of 21 as a tangible reward to a deserving young amateur who serves as a model to their peers by contributing their time, skills and energies daily through their commitment to Amateur Radio and their community. Katherine is the first North Texas amateur to receive this award in its over 50 years of existence.
Taking inspiration from her dad, who is also a licensed Amateur Radio operator, Katherine (also known by her FCC assigned Amateur Radio call sign as KT5KMF) has been active in Amateur Radio since 2013 when, at the age of 9, she successfully passed the Technician level licensing examination. She has since passed the Amateur Extra level examination (the highest level of Amateur Radio license).
Katherine is currently serving as the Youth Coordinator for the North Texas Section of the ARRL, which covers 68 counties. She has spoken to many North Texas Amateur Radio clubs on how to get more young people involved in Amateur Radio and has participated in and coordinated many Amateur Radio events. She is a trained National Weather Service / Skywarn Storm Spotter and is active in Collin County emergency communications preparedness.
When not on the radio, Katherine is active in her school and community. A senior at Plano West Senior High School, she carries a 4.46 grade point average and is a member of National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and her high school band. She won second place in the Dallas Regional Science and Engineering Fair and placed second in the physics and astronomy category at the Texas State Science and Engineering Fair. She serves as a children’s lector at her church and is a Dallas Meals on Wheels volunteer.
Katherine will be presented her award at the 7:00 PM September 20th general meeting of the Plano Amateur Radio Klub. While this meeting is planned to be in-person at the First United Methodist Church of Plano, 3160 E. Spring Creek Parkway, the changing Covid situation may require this meeting to be held online.
Contact:
Tim Johnson – PARK VP
K5TCJ@hotmail.com
972-408-5499
Or The ARRL North Texas Section Manager
Steven Lott Smith KG5VK
318-470-9806
For more information on this award recipient
Or any other questions you may have about the ARRL