In Memory Of
Clarice Louise Goodman
W7FTX SK
Born July 25, 1911 Entered Into Rest October 27, 1997
Clarice Goodman, A Very Special Amateur Operator
When Clarice Goodman, W7FTX, passed away peacefully in her sleep the Bitterroot Amateur Radio Club, and many hams around the USA and around the world lost a very special friend.
Since getting her first license in 1935 (a class "C" ticket in those days) the call W7FTX has been familiar in this valley and beyond. In the early days of her 60-plus years as a ham worked both phone (AM then) and CW. In later years she preferred sideband, and hers was a familiar voice on a number of nets.
Clarice got her introduction to ham radio in about 1923 ( when she was about 12 years old ) from two brother hams ( 7PU and 7EV ) who lived across the road from her family 1 1/2 miles south of Corvallis, MT. Later after she married, she and her husband Ray ( W7FGR ) visited her cousin ( ex W6GRH now W7FEF ) in California where they built a 1 tube type 24A super regenerative receiver. When they returned to the Bitterroot Valley she, Ray and her brother Delbert ( now KC7UX, ex W7FDY & W6MAS ) studied together for their Class "C" ham licenses. That was the highest level of license they could be tested for by a Class "A" licensed ham who lived in Missoula, MT. as the FCC only held exams in Butte, MT. only twice a year in those days. This was in 1935 and eventually they went to the FCC in Seattle, WA. and took and passed the test for the highest Amateur Radio Class "A" license available at that time.
When Clarice, Ray, and Delbert first got their calls there were only about four hams in the valley, and three or four in Missoula. There were no local stores where they could buy radio parts, and everything had to come from Spokane by mail. As a young wife during the depression with limited financial resources, Clarice picked strawberries to earn money to order parts for her first transmitter, a 160-meter AM phone rig that she built her self.
Radio was not only a hobby for Clarice and Ray, they both worked at jobs related to radio in one way or another. During the Second World War they lived in Seattle,WA where Ray worked at the Lake Washington Ship Yards as a radio engineer and Clarice got a job wiring military aircraft at Boeing. After the war they returned to the Bitterroot Valley and in the early 1950's ran a radio and TV repair shop in Hamilton, MT.
Coincidentally, they had the first television receiver in the valley. They were so ahead of the times as there were no TV stations in the state then and they had to depend on very intermittent skip signal propagation from two Texas stations for reception. In 1957 they moved to California where she got a job working for Bendix where she worked assembling radar equipment and antenna systems. Ray worked for Gilfillan and other electronic orientated companies. During the years in California her second call sign was: W6AAX.
When she and Ray retired and again returned to the Bitterroot Valley, she resumed use of her W7FTX call sign. Throughout her retirement her interest in ham radio remained as strong as ever.
Besides her on the air involvement in ham radio, Clarice was active in several amateur organizations. She participated extensively in YLRL activities from the early days of that club's existence, was a member of the Quarter Century Wireless Association, and a Life member of the Bitterroot Amateur Radio Club. She was also active in working with the Glacier - Waterton Hamfest for many years. One year she was the President of that gathering and Ray was secretary- treasurer.
Another interesting event in Clarice's life occurred one dark, freezing cold night. Clarice heard a strange, rather mystifying sound which she followed
across a vacant lot. There she found that the sound was a small boy's attempt to call for help. The strangeness of the sound was because the child's
tongue was stuck to a frozen water pump! The child had slipped after his tongue got stuck so that he was actually hanging by his tongue! In such cold dark
weather the boy would have had little chance to survive for long. Clarice ran for help, and her quick action saved the boy's life. Later that child went on
to become the owner of an air-express and freight company. He called her years later to thank her for saving his life.
Clarice and Ray were married for 70 years and had four children. Shortly after Clarice passed away her husband Ray joined her in eternal rest and entered.
"That Great Amateur Radio Heaven In The Sky"
Memories Of Clarice W7FTX
Larry Gerhardstein
May 1954
About the time I started high school, I became interested in radio, and on 10 May 1954, I became a licensed amateur radio operator, receiving the call
sign W7WCC which I still hold. During the time I was studying for my FCC amateur radio examinations, my mentors were Carl Mienke W7TQC, and Bill Clark W7VUF (SK). Carl and Bill both were Milwaukee Railroad substation operators who worked with my father. Bill Clark and I practiced Morse Code every evening for about 2-3 hours for over one month. Afterward, I was able to take and pass the 13 word per minute FCC Morse Code examination, and I got my first amateur radio license.
My first ever contact on Amateur Radio was with Clarice Goodman W7FTX (SK), Hamilton, Montana on 3980 kHz in the 75 meter phone band, at 11:10 p.m. MST on 20 June 1954. Though my first ever QSO was on AM Phone, I later became an avid CW (Morse Code) operator. In about 1978, I qualified for DXCC by successfully working amateur radio stations in 100 countries. My 100 countries were worked entirely with medium power and wire antennas.