Inducted: April 1993
SK Date: March 2005
Other Call(s): W7ESK, W4ESK
Rush Drake W7RM may have been best known for his wholehearted devotion to contesting and to hosting some of the nation’s top operators–initially from his well-outfitted ocean front multi-multi station on Foul Weather Bluff northwest of Seattle. The heyday of Foul Weather Bluff was during the 1970s, with major multi-op and single-op wins in DX events and in the ARRL November Sweepstakes.
Drake acquired the 2.5-acre tract atop a 210-foot bluff on a peninsula northwest of Seattle in the 1960s. The property featured “a sheer drop-off to 20 miles of saltwater toward Europe and deep Asia, salt water to the east and west and a gentle downward slope to the south. As a result of this confluence of superb location and effective antennas, W7RM was able to challenge the dominance of East Coast DXers with their built-in advantage of being a continent closer to Europe.
Drake initially got into contesting while attending the University of Washington, and he won a club award as W7ESK for his 1938 ARRL International DX Contest effort. He built his contesting reputation as W4ESK, operating with the Potomac Valley Radio Club from Arlington, Virginia before returning to Washington state.
Drake served as Northwestern Division Director from January 1987 through December 1989, when he stepped down due to medical problems. Before serving as Director, he was the division’s Vice Director for two years.