“I am frightened,” he admitted. “I am terrified. The worst thing I’m seeing personally is, if it does sort of catch up with you and you have to go in hospital, you have to lie in bed and die alone. You don’t have any family with you, and nurses and doctors are too busy, from what I understand. You’re alone taking your last breath, and that is absolutely terrible.”

Not only has Rootes spoken to the Aggie hobbyists, but also to people elsewhere in Europe, including a man in Portugal who lost his wife to the virus. Rootes said amateur radio is “almost as good as medicine.”

Gates and Farrell have seen Rootes’ conversations bring delight and joy to their own club members in Brazos County. Gates pointed out that another W5AC member is the caregiver of housebound parents, and during this time of quarantine, her parents have felt joy listening to Rootes talk.

“Talking to Mr. Rootes is a treat,” Gates said. “I have radio at home, and my wife and daughter turn up the volume because they love hearing his accent and hearing him tell funny stories from his past. They burst out laughing.”