We’re sad to say that we’ve just learned of the passing of APCO International Life Member Robert J. Hajek. Born Nov. 20, 1932, in Chicago, Ill., Hajek succumbed to cancer on Dec. 23, 2012, in Albuquerque, N.M.

According to the official memorial, Hajek was raised in Riverside, Ill., attended Riverside Brookfield High School and received his BSEE from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. He was a professional business owner for more than 25 years and volunteered for the Chicago area SKYWARN, National Weather Service (NWS).

Hajek joined APCO International on Aug. 1, 1951, and the association bestowed its highest honor, Life Membership, on him in 1986. Known to friends as Radio Bob, Hajek’s amateur radio callsign was W9QBH, a license he held for 65 years.

“Bob stayed involved,” recalls Art Rios, E9-1-1 program manager for the State of New Mexico’s Local Government Division and New Mexico APCO Executive Council Member. “I met him for the first time 2 or 3 years ago after he retired and moved to New Mexico.  He attended a meeting of the New Mexico APCO Board/Member and introduced himself as ‘Radio Bob.’”  Hajek then challenged Rios to guess how long he’d been involved with APCO.  When Rios started his guess at 15 years, Radio Bob nudged him higher and higher until, finally, he simply asked Rios’ age.  “I told him and he smiled and told me he’d been an APCO member longer than I’d been alive.  I told him, for that, I owed him a cup of coffee!”

Not long after their introduction, the State of New Mexico needed a new frequency coordinator and Rios thought he knew just the man for the job. “I called Bob and asked, and he said he’d love to do it, but he was just too busy. He got a job! I was surprised and told him he was retired; he was supposed to be taking care of the grandbabies, playing golf and taking his wife out to lunch. But he told me he just couldn’t stay down.”

Rios counts it a great honor to have introduced New Mexico APCO members to Radio Bob at their annual conference and sharing Hajek’s 62 years of service with up-and-coming communications professionals.

“He was a great mentor.  Could you imagine, achieving that type of accomplishment?  When he walked into the room, he literally doubled the experience of everyone else.”

Hajek was employed for 16 years at Commonwealth Edison, Chicago, before moving to Albuquerque in 2005. After a five-year retirement, he continued his profession at PNM Resources as a Senior Telecom Engineer until making his final journey home.

Hajek is survived by his wife, Janet and daughter, Diane. A visitation and Celebration of Life was held on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013, at the Riverside Funeral Home of Albuquerque, located at 225 San Mateo Blvd., NE. Donations can be made to the American Cancer Society in Hajek’s name at www.cancer.org or 800/227-2345.

Some Highlights from Hajek’s Service to APCO

Aug. 1, 1951: Joined APCO International

1960: Contributed first article to the APCO Bulletin, writing Illinois APCO meeting notes as secretary pro-tempore

1962–1966 (and more?, retired in 1970): Illinois Chapter secretary-treasurer; he served as secretary-treasurer when the Illinois Chapter was incorporated as a not-for-profit under Illinois law, finalized in 1963

1963: Involved with the push to advocate a new category of membership, Local Govt. Membership, in an attempt to gain support from those benefitting from APCO’s work, also a way to raise financial support; a government membership cost $25/year and included one representative member, additional members could be added for $10/year. Hajek wrote an article “Project: Governmental Membership” in the APCO Bulletin concerning Illinois APCO’s Local Govt. Membership and National’s 1965 adoption of a more flexible government membership policy. “The real beneficiary of the efforts of APCO, the governmental entity,” he said, “should be the major source of financial support and not the individual digging into his own pocket.”

1960s: Involved with the Operating Procedure School.

1965–1966: Served as the chair of APCO International’s Activity and Membership Committee, worked toward greater governmental representation and creating new promotional materials for APCO membership under APCO President J. Rhett McMillan

1965–1966: Served as an Executive Committee member.

1970: Retired as Illinois APCO’s secretary-treasurer to become Illinois APCO’s second VP.

1971: Served as Illinois APCO president.

1969–1970: Served on APCO International’s Resolutions Committee.

1970–1971, 1971–1972, 1972–1973, 1973–1974, 1974–1975: Served on APCO International’s Public Safety Planning Committee, high level of activity in 1973 due to the large number of FCC actions on FCC Dockets. He wrote articles in the APCO Bulletin on spectrum management, as well as on the APCO International 38th and 39th Annual Conference & Expositions.

1974–1976: Hajek again served as secretary-treasurer of Illinois APCO. He served on Illinois APCO’s Frequency Advisory Committee (at least in 1975). He served as the chairman of General Arrangements for the 1977 APCO International Conference & Expo.

September 1977: Illinois APCO split the office of secretary-treasurer, and Hajek was commended for years of service in this position.

1978, 1979: Served on Illinois APCO Executive Committee

1978–1979: Served on the National Regulatory and Dockets Committee.

 Editor’s note: Thanks to Art Rios and Steve Martini for their assistance with this article and to Ed Milam, secretary, Illinois APCO, for compiling the list of Bob Hajek’s notable contributions to APCO International.