Steve Putman, N8ZR, of Fairborn, Ohio, one of the candidates for the Great Lakes Division Vice Director’s chair, died unexpectedly on October 5. He was 58 and an ARRL Life Member. Balloting is already underway for the Great Lakes Vice Director position, currently held by Tom Delaney, W8WTD, the only other candidate. The ARRL Ethics and Elections Committee has determined that all votes cast by members in the Great Lakes Division will still be counted. If Putman receives the most votes, a vacancy will be declared that ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, would fill by appointment.

A professional engineer, Putman said in declaring his candidacy that he got into Amateur Radio “to have fun!” Born in Michigan, he was licensed as a Novice in 1972 as WN4ZRR while living in Alabama. Putman became an ARRL VEC volunteer examiner in 1985, in the early years of the volunteer examiner program, and he established a VE program for the USECA Amateur Radio Club in Utica, Michigan. Putman served as an ARRL Volunteer Consulting Engineer.

In addition to the ARRL, Putman belonged to the Dayton Amateur Radio Association and was a volunteer at Dayton Hamvention®. He also was a QCWA Life Member, and he held the Australian call sign VK2IZR. Putman founded the Antioch Shrine ARC and served as trustee of its club station, N8FEZ.

In his spare time, Putman enjoyed playing the trumpet in the Antioch Shrine Band, the Fairborn Civic Band, and at his church.

Putman earned his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from The Ohio State University and master’s degrees (mechanical engineering; MBA) from Bowling Green State University and the University of Dayton. He retired in 2013 as a professor of systems engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright Patterson AFB.

The family invites memorial donations to the Shriners Hospitals for Children.