Amateur Radio Week - June 23-29, 2008

At this morning's Madison County Commission Meeting, Mayor Jimmy Harris read the following proclamation recognizing The West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society for its half-century of community communications services and proclaiming the week of June 23-29, 2008 as:

Amateur Radio Week

Representing The West Tennessee Radio Society at this meeting were: Greg Flanagan - KE4FTA, Scott Pearce - KD4OZT, DJ Jablownski - KI4FZK and Mike Winslow, President, - KI4LMZ.

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, The West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society is celebrating a half-century of
promoting and enhancing the craft of amateur radio providing a bridge between people, societies and countries by creating friendships and the sharing of ideas;

and

WHEREAS, The West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society has continued to provide countless
hours of community services and emergency communications, without compensation throughout these decades; and

WHEREAS, The amateur radio’s people provide services to our many Emergency Response
organizations, including the Jackson-Madison County Emergency Management Agency, the American Red Cross, and the Salvation Army and have demonstrated their value in public assistance by providing free radio communications for local parades, bike-a-thons, walk-a-thons, fairs and other charitable public events; and

WHEREAS, Jackson and Madison County appreciate the diligence of these “hams” who also
serve as weather spotters in the Skywarn program of the U. S. Government Weather Bureau; and

WHEREAS, Amateur Radio once again proved its undisputed relevance in the modern world
in 2003 and 2008 by providing emergency communications when other systems failed in the devastation of the tornados that struck Madison County; and

WHEREAS, The West Tennessee Amateur Radio Field Day exercise will take place on June 28-29, 2008 and is a 24-hour emergency encampment exercise and demonstration of the Radio Amateur’s skills and readiness to provide self-supporting communications even in fields without further infrastructure.

NOW, THEREFORE, WE, JIMMY HARRIS, COUNTY MAYOR OF MADISON COUNTY, TENNESSEE, AND JERRY GIST, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF JACKSON, TENNESSEE, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM THE WEEK OF JUNE 23-29, 2008 AS

Amateur Radio Week

in Jackson-Madison County, Tennessee, and urge all citizens to take advantage of the planned programs to be offered June 28-29, 2008 at the Jackson Fairgrounds Park.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, WE HEREUNTO SET OUR HANDS AND CAUSE THE SEALS OF MADISON COUNTY, TENNESSEE, AND THE CITY OF JACKSON, TENNESSEE, TO BE AFFIXED THIS 16^TH DAY OF JUNE, 2008.

JMMY HARRIS, MAYOR JERRY GIST, MAYOR

MADISON COUNTY, TENNESSEE CITY OF JACKSON, TENNESSEE