Ham radio helped build the career of Jeff Goldman, K3DUA. Now, he’s paying it forward.

The ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology celebrates the generosity of Jeff Goldman, K3DUA. A gift from Goldman has underwritten an entire week of the program, allowing 13 educators from all over the United States to attend the program.

Goldman took an interest in radio at the age of 12, when his father bought him a shortwave receiver. Hearing signals from around the world captivated his mind. “The most interesting thing is I got to listen to Sputnik when it went up back in the late '50s,” he said. In 1958, Goldman earned his Novice class license and began a journey in amateur radio that he still enjoys today. 

Early in life, his radio hobby started shaping his career. “I got into engineering school as a result of my interest in electronics,” he said. “When I was drafted back in the late '60s, I went to the recruiter and asked what can you do to keep me from having to dig foxholes in Vietnam?” recounted Goldman. His skills formed as a ham radio operator got him into the Army Signal Corps, and a duty assignment in Germany. “I got into a very specialized unit,” he said. 

Goldman would go on to start an amateur radio-related small business in the 1970s. Now, he’s hoping to use the success he found as a result of wireless technology to pave the way for future generations to follow in his footsteps. “Because of the wonderfulness that ham radio has done for me and my whole life, I’ve been fairly successful, and I think it is an important hobby. It is an important national asset for the country,” he said. 

The 13 teachers who attended The Jeffrey B. Goldman, K3DUA, Teachers Institute Week will take what they’ve learned back into their classrooms and incorporate hands-on approaches to radio and wireless technology into their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) lessons. 

ARRL Director of Development Kevin Beal, K8EAL, admires Goldman’s leadership gift. “By making this gift now, Jeff is setting the example for others to follow, and we are excited to recognize his generosity by naming this week in his honor.”

Goldman and his wife, Janis, visited with the teachers on Tuesday. Several of the teachers were excited to share what their attendance meant to them. Goldman is thrilled at the number of young people who will be impacted by his gift, and the ripple effects it may have on amateur radio and electrical engineering’s future leaders. He’d tell the students they have a bright future in amateur radio. “It is a good hobby,” he said. “It can provide you an education, it can provide you a lifetime of earning if you have an engineering degree and you get into technology. It can lead to computers or hardware design or whatever it is. Technology is a good field.” 

Learn more about the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology at www.arrl.org/ti.