Don. F. Neufeld Award
The Don F. Neufeld Award was initiated in 1988. The award was designed by the Adventist Amateur Radio Association International to help promote excellence and participation in Adventist amateur radio. The award gives recognition to Adventist amateur radio operators who, in their ham radio activity, have made a significant contribution to the cause of Adventist amateur radio. The purpose of the award is not only to give recognition to outstanding individuals but also to help with the promotion and recognition of the contribution of Adventist amateur radio to the Amateur radio community and to society as a whole.
The award is named after the late Don F. Neufeld, W3ZS. Don was an avid ham radio operator who obtained his license in Canada at a young age. He was 15 when he received his first ham radio license. Don was a pioneer in Adventist ham radio and spent his total working career as an employee of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. Don's working career spanned everything from working as a professor of theology at Canadian Union College, major writing contributor to the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary and to serving as an associate editor of the Adventist Review. Don remained interested and active in ham radio until the time of his death, March 3, 1980. In fact, he left several unfinished ham projects on his basement workbench when he died. Both he and Elder Gordon Balharrie were pioneer ham operators, often working together, while they were on the staff at Canadian Union College. Elder Balharrie will be remembered as serving for many years as the head of the Walla Walla College Theology Department.
Neufeld Award recipients to date:
- 1988 Ed Peterson, K3LJP
- 1989 Guy Welch, W6ZTY
- 1990 Mel Northrup, KA0CBZ
- 1991 Don Starkey, K7NHR
- 1992 Harold Richards, WD6BDZ
- 1995 George (Al) Rhoads, KR7P
- 1997 Dave Martin, W7TP/W7TPF
- 1998 Rodney, WB6QDN & Barbara, WBQDK, Benson
- 1998 Sid Kettner, VE7LLU
- 2000 Paul Gates, KD3JF
- 2000 Julie Brude, KA8YXD
- 2001 Stanley Hall, W6OWT
- 2004 Dr. Barney, W4STU & Marcella, KD4HRG, McLarty
- 2005 Mike Yarema, VE7KLY
- 2006 Edith Litvin, KA7MIF
- 2006 Paul Anderson, N4BHO
- 2009 Keith Carlin, N7ACW
- 2009 Harold Keniston, KA6ENC
- 2013 Wendell Paypa, AE6WR
AARAI is always looking for nominations for individuals deserving of the award. Recipients are chosen according to the process decided in an action at the 1990 AARAI meeting held at the General Conference session in Indianapolis. General guideline criteria for those being nominated for the award are as follows:
- Membership (participants) in AARAI
- Provided leadership to Adventist amateur radio through some of the following types of activity:
- Leadership in Adventist amateur radio organizations
- Leadership in Adventist net operations
- Promotion of Adventist amateur radio in schools and academies
- Providing community service through Adventist amateur organizations by emergency leadership involvement in (a) ham classes, (b) leading out in services, (c) public service activities.
- Providing communication services for mission/missionary purposes.
- Other unique and positive service to Adventist amateur radio.
If you know of someone that you would like to recommend, please send your nomination(s) to Keith Drieberg K2KLD, Neufeld Award Coordinator, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or phone: 909-213-3010. Nominations can be submitted at any time. Awards are usually presented to the recipients during the summer at hamfests and other ham assemblies, and thus should be timed accordingly. Please include the following information:
- Name, call sign, and address of the nominee.
- Description of the nominee's contribution to Adventist amateur radio. Include specific situations and examples as per the guidelines listed above.
- Additional information about the nominee such as organizational positions (offices) held in radio, etc., and a bit of the individual's occupation/professional background.
- Your name, call, telephone number, address, and e-mail address. Also, include a bit of information on your own involvement in Adventist amateur radio.