I first ran into Dewayne at a wireless community conference in Taos in 1994. We hit it off and became good friends, sometimes conspiring on odd projects. His mother is 103, sharp as a tack, and something of an icon. One of the first African Americans to integrate a section of Detroit after WWII. We all figured Dewayne had at least three more decades. Dewayne built on that. I've never met anyone with a deeper understanding of radio - something he combined with a deep social commitment.
About a month ago he called from a hospital room in Detroit. Jaundice - the doctors were trying to figure it out. The next day there was an emergency operation to deal with a blocked bile duct. Then it was discovered he had stage 4 cancer. He flew to California for better medical treatment and passed yesterday. The various communities he touched are in shock. I won't list his remarkable accomplishments other than a Wired article from 2002 (he's done a lot since) and noting he had a large impact on the technical side of the FCC. He was a great friend. The last conversation I had was last Monday. He ended it as he always did when he wanted to make a point - a quote from Battlestar Galactica: So say we all!
Sorry for your loss, Steve. It shows he meant a lot to you
Blessings,
Charlie
Posted by: Charles Hess | 09/21/2024 at 10:18 PM
oooohhh. Noooo.
Such a remarkable human. I am so sad we have lost him.
Thank you for sharing.
Posted by: jean russell | 09/22/2024 at 04:56 PM