Memories of Joe Pontek, K8JP (1743)

by Don Karvonen, K8MFO

Joe recently became a Silent Key at age 80, after suffering a great deal over the past 10 years with various health issues. That may have been the case, but very few people knew it. If you knew Joe, you know he stood for FUN and ENTHUSIASM, always with a project or two on his mind. He had recently purchased a Tar Heel screwdriver antenna, and intended to install that on his vehicle, but he ran out of time.

I remember the first time I met Joe. It would have been the last weekend of January 1965. My friend Chuck Hutchinson, K8CH picked me up from my college dorm at Michigan State and said, “You have to meet a friend of mine.” That friend was of course Joe, who was K8HKM at the time. We were escorted into the basement where Joe was seated at the rig and operating the CQ 160 Meter Contest. After being introduced, Joe proceeded to tell us he had been calling a DX station for 2 nights, and was not going to give up. Who was the DX station? Well it was Joeke, PJ2VD (PAØVDV, FOC 1101, SK) running a constant string of stations. Unfortunately Joe’s Johnson Viking Ranger with about 35 watts output and a low piece of wire had not yet made it through. Did he make it later? I don’t know, but I do know that he was not one to give up easily! It’s interesting that all three of us who got together on that occasion eventually became members of FOC, just a sampling of several others who spent some time at Michigan State University and its W8SH club station. As a matter of interest, Dale Strieter, W4QM (FOC 808, SK) taught CW to Joe and mentored Joe until he became licensed. How many aspiring hams were lucky enough to have a mentor of Dale’s capabilities?

As anyone who knew Joe is aware, he had a deep love for all aspects of amateur radio. He was a master technician, having worked for Motorola and IBM, among others. Joe could easily maintain his own radios, and created some enviable antenna installations, particularly after he became semi-retired and moved to Belize. Joe’s widow “Ronnie” and I have had a couple of conversations recently and she commented on his love for radio, and never being able to throw anything away.

One of my favorite memories of Joe is related to the Dayton Hamvention. When he started to travel back and forth from the USA to Belize, he learned the realities of bandits on the highway. In order to make his travel safer, he purchased the most beat up pickup truck he could find. It’s surprising that the bandits did not provide him with handouts! He also took that truck to Dayton and proudly parked it in VIP parking at The Crowne Plaza. Typical Joe! I’m among the many friends Joe had who will miss him a whole lot. Joe did call me in the middle of the night a few weeks before he passed away, and we did reflect on the good times we had tongether.of which there were many. Ronnie and their two sons, Sidney and Martin, have a void in their lives. You just don’t replace guys like Joe Pontek! Rest in peace, my friend!