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Ralph Ziegenbein (W8PLP) and Don Devendorf (W8EGI), circa 1955. Don brought this photo to each Ladies' Night for the past several years and now, thanks to Don's Family, we will keep that tradition alive, with a beautifully scanned copy, which is ready for this year's Ladies' Night. If you want a copy of this photo, contact Erv (W8ERV) and he can get one for you. There is much history in this photo and it is the only photo we have of Ziegenbein, too. A BIG thank you to the Devendorf Family for their help in preserving a piece of CMARC history for future generations...

2009 Recipient Ronald Harger, WD8BCS

Ron Harger (WD8BCS) was honored tonight at the Annual Ladies' Night/Ziegenbein Banquet. There was a large turnout for the dinner and the room erupted into applause when Ron's name was revealed. Shortly thereafter, his Father Dan (W8BCI) posed for this photo with his son. It was nearly 45 years ago to the day that Dan was honored, making Ron the first second generation Ziegenbein Recipient in the history of the award. Congratulations, Ron! Well done...

2008 Recipient Richard McGuire, KI8C

Richard McGuire (KI8C) is congratulated by the 2008 Ziegenbein Recipient, Roger Barnhill (AB8RX) at the June, 2009 CMARC meeting. Dick wasn't present at the Ladies' Night celebration, which necessitated a CMARC presentation, but we were ALL pleased to know that Dick got it.WAY TO GO, Dick!

2007 Recipient Roger Barnhill, AB8RX

Roger Barnhill (AB8RX) receives the 2007 Ziegenbein Award from Pam Denomme (KB8PSF) at the Annual Ladies' Night Banquet on Saturday, May 2, 2008. CONGRATULATIONS, Roger!

Who Was Ralph Ziegenbein (W8PLP) ?

Some members wonder for months, or even years about the annual award CMARC bestows on its most active and contributive member. Some even struggle with the pronounciation of the award's name, but after reading this bit of information, you can amaze your friends and relatives with the story...and the man behind it.

Ralph Ziegenbein (pronounced Zig-en-bine) held Amateur Callsign W8PLP. He was popular barber in the Lansing area, with a shop located on Michigan Avenue, near Clemens and made a large impact on our Club. "He would ask if you were a Ham when you came into his shop", said longtime CMARC member, Currin Skutt (W8FSZ). "If you said yes, he would open a drawer and hand you a QST, if you said no, he would direct you to the magazines on the table."

There is little information on the man known affectionately as "Mr. Ham Radio" and he has no Family in the area, according to Currin Skutt, but he is remembered as the man who spearheaded the push to bring the Novice Class license to Amateur Radio. According to Currin, Ziegenbein came up with the idea, sent it to the Club Secretary and had it typed up for submission to the ARRL. "The League took it from there", Skutt remembered and Amateur Radio added the Novice Class to its list.

Ziegenbein was among the last of the sparkgap users in the Lansing area. Currin tells a story about how Ralph's transmitter would weld the electric meter when he used his transmitter, which caused some problems with the electric company. A man of good humor, Skutt also told of Ziegenbein's homespun phonetics. "He called himself a modular fruit stand", said Skutt. "Peaches, Lemons and Prunes".

W8PLP assured himself a place in the hearts of CMARC members of that day. Currin shared that Ziegenbein was a "man of his word. If he told you he would do something, you could expect a report on it at the next meeting". His dedication to the Hobby was apparent and Skutt also said the Lansing barber never missed a meeting.

A member of the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA), Ziegenbein was traveling to the Upper Peninsula for a meeting in 1960 when he and his wife were involved in a terrible auto accident near Houghton Lake, Michigan. Ziegenbein died in the accident, but his wife was taken to a Grayling hospital with injuries.

Following his death, Currin tells that a group of Hams known as "The Lush Wells" (all CMARC members) decided to preserve Ziegenbein's callsign, "If not for the Club, then for a worthy organization." After navigating a sea of red tape, the group's efforts were rewarded and W8PLP was issued to CMARC for the station at the American Red Cross, Lansing Chapter shortly thereafter.

The final Chapter in this story, and one that is still being written today, was the creation of the Ziegenbein Award. This award is presented each May to the Full CMARC member who has contributed the most to Amateur Radio, in general and CMARC, in particular for the previous calendar year. The Ziegenbein Committee consists of recipients of the award for the previous three years.

Below is a list of all previous Ziegenbein Award Winners