DXing and How I Got Started

nyone who knows me understands that for my entire time in amateur radio, my focus has been on “organizing” and running clubs. Starting in my high school in 1965, I had my first experience in an amateur radio club. I joined the Bergenfield High School Amateur Radio Club (WA2QBJ) in northern New Jersey where I grew up. Our club was run by a biology teacher, Mr. Bostonian, who at that time was not licensed. I don’t remember who the trustee of WA2QBJ was, but it was apparent that he was no longer at the school. We had several licensed students who met after school once a week and operated the high school station, which was a Heathkit DX-35 transmitter and a Hallicrafters S38 receiver fed to a vertical on the roof. All was well. Then, as I remember, in 1966 the principal of the school informed us that since Mr. Bostonian was not licensed, and could not be the trustee, he was going to shut down the club. I vividly remember arranging a meeting with the principal to discuss this. I checked with the FCC to make absolutely sure that “any licensed ham,” regardless of age, could be a club trustee, and they clearly said yes and provided me with the appropriate FCC contact information if the principal wanted to check. All I remember was this principal telling me in no uncertain terms that there were no licensed ham teachers in the school and, as such, there could not be a club. I tried to explain to him that our biology teacher could continue running the after-school club and that any one of the licensed students could be the trustee. He emphatically said no; very emphatically as I recall. He really “pissed me off.” As I was leaving his office, I