Galen F. Tustison had been a ham radio operator for many years. I first met Galen when he was a department manager at Hughes Space & Communications, where his group built satellite ground stations. When president Nixon visited China in 1972, Galen was part of a team of Hughes engineers who accompanied the Nixon delegation and provided the first satellite coverage of that event.
Several years later Galen moved down to Ramona, CA where he bought a 56 acre ranch with a 2200 foot runway. I was his co-pilot on his first attempted landing on that strip, which, I am pleased to report, was successful.
Galen had many interests including sailing, flying, and working DX contests. He and some ham friends traveled to far reaching remote locations where they made thousands of contacts.
He leaves 3 adult children, Bruce, Ann & Fred, who lives on the ranch with his family.