Most of the content in this post is already written in other posts. I would summarize them here. As a token of friendship with him. I may go on describing my memories of unforgettable friends from now on. Before my memory gets too faint.
It was early '60s when I first met Steve WA6IVN on the air. He was a son of Ray WA6IVM, who used to work a lot of JA beginners in QRS on 40m and to be famous among them. Steve was a few years older than me and an avid contester and DX chaser. I have no memory of having any further conversation with him those days. In every contest, he boomed in here with a big signal. I remember him only in that way.
It was not too long until I came back on the air in early '80s that I met him again and became close friends. We have talked how we had spent '70s. I have just married and moved to the dorm of the hospital where I and my wife had started serving residency and I had the set up at the dorm. He seemed to have spent an unusual or rather aberrant way of life for his age. He got lymphoma in his teenage days. It seemed to belong to fairly benign entity and all he had to have for the treatment was local radiation when it flamed up. As I told him I had just started career as an MD, he seemed to be interested in me and was willing to tell me all what he experienced as a patient.
In my first visit on business to the US in 1984, renting a car, I have driven to Manteca a suburb of SF, to visit him and his family. He has welcomed me as a real old friend. Not very rich but seemingly typical middle class in the US. They had two sons. The elder, Mark, was there and had dinner with me. A traditional style of Christianity. The other son, Bob, should be living somewhere else. The day after, Steve and Karen, his wife, took me boating on a river there. Honestly, I didn't care for such an outdoor activity. But they seemed to show me how they were enjoying leisure time. As I already wrote on him, he seemed to rush through his life as if there had been little time left for him. Looking back his life at present, he sure had not much time in the rest of his life.
Ever since, we have had even more QSOs. Sometimes, I came back to the dorm and talked to him in our lunch break. Those days, the conditions were terrific on high bands that opened to the West Coast until early afternoon. Now I knew he was sitting at that shack and was holding that great paddle. I should look up the log and see what we have talked about. He also has sent me a lot of photos showing his family, himself and outing on the boat etc. They all looked familiar to me since I have been there once.
However, the peaceful days have not lasted long. He has soon developed more malignant genre of lymphoma. He had chemotherapy for that at Stanford University. In a few years, malignant lymphoma has complicated to it. At present, it could be effectively treated with immune check point blocker. At that time, no effective treatment for that most malignant disease of skin was available. He got a metastasis to brain, which gradually deprived him of various capabilities. His keying has become more and more clumsy as we went on QSOs. Such a perfect CW operator as him could become incredibly poor sender. It was a real pity. I guess that was what he had felt most himself.
In 1988, I had a chance to visit the West Coast with a friend of mine, Hide, JH0FBH. My wife was supposed to go with me but pregnancy has prevented her from travelling. We have visited a number of ham friends like Eric W6DU, Merle K6DC, Tom K6TS and maybe lastly Bob W6CYX. Bob has held a big dinner party for us. Steve and Karen have driven down from Manteca to Mt. Hamilton in San Jose spending possibly a couple of hours one way and have joined that party. I guess Steve believed it could be his last chance to see me in person. Without saying that, I felt him thinking that way and not sparing his long drive to see me. He has lost his beautiful blond hair and has become too skinny. I could never forget seeing him at Bob's home that night.
This photo was taken before Steve's camper at parking lot of Bob's home in the morning the day after when Steve and Karen were leaving there for home. From left to right; Karen, Hide, me, Steve and Bob. It was brightly fine. But our hearts were clouded with sadness. It was the last moment we saw each other.
After that trip, I have seen Steve very few times, I am afraid. In the end of the year, I guess, I heard of his passing through someone who knew each of us.
I am grateful to this hobby which I could share our lives together if it was only for not a long time.
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