Gene was one of the "grand old hams" when I first got licensed. He indirectly helped me get interested in ham radio. My dad and Gene worked together and Gene was always passing ham related info (code practice frequencies and times) to my dad, who then passed it on to me. He was radio man first Class on the USS Omaha of the U.S. Navy during World War II as well as an active and dedicated member of the Virginia Phone Net for 50 years. He served as a trained spotter with the National Weather Service. He was always the consummate professional on the air and his voice had a distinctive timbre that I'll never forget.