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2007 Ziegenbein Recipient Announced

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

Ladies' Night is now history and the 2007 Ziegenbein Award recipient has been unveiled. Roger Barnhill, AB8RX was presented CMARC's highest honor at the annual Ladies' Night Banquet, held at Delhi Cafe in Holt on Saturday evening.

Roger shared that he "dedicated this honor to his Mother in-law, Judy Gardner, who passed away this week". He also shared that Judy was related to Gordon Maine (W8OCK)(SK), the first recipient of the Ziegenbein...and of course, Mother to DeAnna (KD8BDI), last year's winner. Quite a Family Tradition, indeed.

Please join me in wishing Roger our hearty Congratulations. ~Erv, W8ERV

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