09/02/2026
Former ARRL Chief Operating Officer (COO) Harold Robert Kramer, WJ1B, of
Cheshire, Connecticut, passed away on Monday, August 31, 2026, at age 78. Kramer
served as COO and QST Publisher from 2005 to 2016[1], following a career in
broadcasting. He was an ARRL Life Member and donor, supporting the Diamond Club,
the Second Century Campaign, and the ARRL Lab.
Former ARRL CEO Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, recalled, "We hired Harold away from
Connecticut Public Broadcasting (CPB), not long after doing the same to bring in
Mary Hobart (also now SK) as Chief Development Officer. I was told the CPB
President wasn't happy about being ARRL's farm team!" Sumner referred to
Kramer's 11 years of service to ARRL staff as "one sunspot cycle" on the staff.
"You'd be hard-pressed to find a friendlier person than Harold Kramer," said
ARRL Lab Manager George Spatta, W1GKS. "Harold continued volunteering at ARRL
long after he retired by helping the Lab test donations, and he was very active
in the ARRL Historical Committee, where he was passionate about documenting and
presenting the history of amateur radio and the equipment used by hams over the
decades. Harold will be sorely missed by his good friends in the ARRL Lab."
Kramer was also a contributing author to ARRL's The Parks on the Air¿ Book. He
was active on the air until a couple of months before his passing, and he made
some of his final contacts as a Parks on the Air "hunter."
In addition, Harold was very active in his hometown of Cheshire, Connecticut,
having served as an elected member of the town's Planning and Zoning Committee
and chairing its public library board. He was also a past president of Temple
Beth David in Cheshire, which is where his funeral service will take place on
Friday, September 4 at 11:30 AM. Burial will follow at Hillside Cemetery. A full
obituary may be found at www.fordfh.com/obituaries/harold-kramer[2].
ARRL extends sympathy to Harold's wife, Karen, daughters Anna and Ruth, and many
other relatives and friends.
[1] http://www.arrl.org/news/view/arrl-chief-operating-officer-harold-kramer-wj1
b-retires-after-11-years-at-headquarters
[2] https://www.fordfh.com/obituaries/harold-kramer
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