Return to MDXA Home..."We are very sorry to say that on Tuesday night (August 12, 2003) our wonderful husband and father passed away after a short but brutal battle with cancer. He loved us all and touched each and every one of us in a very special way. We will miss him greatly and thank you all for being such great friends of his."............... The Brown Family
Dick was a retired US Air Force officer and had Doctoral Degrees in Veterinarian Medicine and
Pathology. During his military career he was part of the Project Mercury Space Program,
working with the chimpanzee named "Ham." A photo of Dick giving Ham an examination was
published in the August 2002 edition of CQ Magazine. Dick also had it published on one of his well known QSLs.
Dick was also famous for his tireless DXing. He had the distinct honor of holding 5BDXCC plaques from three different countries...the only DXer to achieve that honor. These included his operations as W0EXD/4 from Pensacola, Florida; as YB0ABV from Jakarta, Indonesia; and as W5AA/TI8 from Costa Rica.
Dick had the unique pleasure of sharing the love of amateur radio with members of his immediate family. All are hams including his lovely wife Jo Ann, N5FBW. His sons live in Central America and where frequently visited by Dick and Jo Ann. They never missed an opportunity to get on the air regardless of their location. The photo above shows W5AA and N5FBW in front of their beautiful home on the Gulf Coast. They had a wonderful view of the Gulf of Mexico from their third floor ham shack.The passing of any ham is often bittersweet, as is the case with Dick Brown - W5AA. The Magnolia DX Association wishes to take this opportunity to convey our sincere sympathy to the Brown Family on their loss of a wonderful husband and loving father. And at the same time we would also like to express our gratitude to the long lasting achievements Dick made through the hobby with which we share a common bond...ham radio and the spirit of never ending DX!