On October 31, 2018, the amateur radio world lost one of its best ambassadors, Rev. Paul Bittner, WØAIH, at age 84. Licensed for nearly 70 years, Paul built one of the largest ham radio stations in the world, and for decades, opened it up for others to use and operate. Over the years, Paul also helped countless hams to get on the air, or to improve their stations, by installing their towers and antennas. Paul never passed up an opportunity to help a fellow ham.



As a rememberance to this great, giving man, I am working with his son-in-law, Paul Husby WØUC and ARRL Development Manager, Lauren Clarke KB1YDD, to establish "The Rev. Paul E. Bittner, WØAIH, Memorial Scholarship." This will be a permanent award, managed by the ARRL Foundation, with a $1,000 scholarship awarded each year to a deserving young amateur radio operator, pursuing higher education (to be used for tuition, books, fees and other educational expenses).



About US Tax Deductions for your donation:

The 'Tax Cuts and Jobs Act' makes it more difficult in 2018 to benefit from charity donations, due to the higher standard deduction. More information HERE . That said, the ARRL Foundation, who will administer the scholarship fund, is an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) exempt organization (EIN 23-7325472). If you wish to claim a tax deduction for your donation, and receive a letter of acknowledgement, you will need to make your donation via check, since an online donation via GoFundMe may not provide adequate documentation for your tax purposes. See below for how to donate via check.



How to Donate via Credit Card:

Use the yellow "Donate" button at the top of this page. Note that GoFundMe (which charges nothing to run this site, other than standard credit card fees of 2.9% + 30 cents), will ask for a "tip" but you can zero it out by changing the tip to "Other" then enter $0.00 -- there is NO requirement to donate extra to the GoFundMe site.



How to Donate via Check:

1) Make your check payable to "ARRL Foundation"

2) Put "WØAIH Scholarship" in the memo field

3) Mail it to Paul's son-in-law, who will be collecting and documenting donations via check:



WØAIH Scholarship Fund

c/o Paul Husby, WØUC

1700 Ridgewood La S

Roseville, MN 55113-5624



When your check is received, you will be added to the list of Donors here on the GoFundMe site, and your donation amount will be added to the overall dollar amount raised. If you wish to remain anonymous, make note of that, when you mail the check.



How does your donation get into the Scholarship fund?

For Credit Card Donations made via the GoFundMe site, once per month, Scott Neader KA9FOX will withdraw donations from GoFundMe, into his personal bank account, then he will send an electronic bank check, equal the amount withdrawn, directly to The ARRL Foundation, to be deposited into the endowment fund established for the Rev. Paul E. Bittner WØAIH Memorial Scholarship fund. For donations via Check, Paul Husby W0UC will mail all received checks at least once per month to The ARRL Foundation, to be deposited into the same endowment fund. The ARRL Foundation plans to send thank you letters to each donor, which will verify that your donation has been successfully received.



Thank you for considering a donation to create The Rev. Paul E. Bittner, WØAIH, Memorial Scholarship fund.



