As an 11 year old Novice back in 1961, I had built a single tube, 25W oscillator for 80 meter CW. My first attempt at building a transmitter didn't quite work. A ham a few blocks away, Charlie - W2DED, introduced me to Jack Thompson - W2OPE. Jack helped me get the transmitter working and became a mentor to me. He had no formal electronics training, no matter, he was a master at getting things to work.
Several years ago I found out that his daughter and I worked for the same aerospace company. Through her, I was able to reconnect with my old mentor and let him know how his efforts had motivated me in my career choice. I was fortunate to contact him and his friends on a 40 meter CW net. I wanted Jack to know that I was still very active in a hobby he got me started in so long ago, God bless Jack - W2OPE.