05/18/2023

Section Manager of the ARRL South Carolina Section Marc Tarplee, N4UFP, passed away on Sunday, May 14, 2023.

Tarplee served as the South Carolina Section Technical Coordinator for 7 years before becoming the South Carolina Section Manager in 2010. He was the longest-serving Section Manager of the century within the ARRL Roanoke Division.

He was a member of the York County Amateur Radio Society (YCARS), the Carolina DX Association (CDXA), a founding member of the York County Contesters Group, and he recently retired as the Chief Financial Officer of York Technical College in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He completed his undergraduate degree in physics at the State University of New York in Brockport, and then he pursued an M.Sc. at the Rochester (New York) Institute of Technology. He earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of South Carolina.

After spending many years as a shortwave listener, Tarplee became licensed in 1988. He was an avid CW operator and was chasing ARRL's Fred Fish Memorial Award, which is granted to hams who work all 488 maidenhead grids in the continental US via VHF/UHF. He had more than 420 grids confirmed.

Tarplee also enjoyed 160 meters and particularly relished working the top band from a large piece of marshland he owned on the South Carolina coast. From there, he had the space to run a full-wave Beverage antenna. As both a committed DXer and contester, Tarplee could be found anywhere from 160 meters to 23 centimeters.

"Marc's service to the South Carolina Section was legendary. He served as Technical Coordinator prior to my successful election as Section Manager in 2003 and continued in that position throughout my tenure. When I was elected to the ARRL board to start in 2010, I was looking for a replacement.  As I was considering candidates, Marc came to me and wanted to give it a shot. I admitted to him that I did not even consider him at first, but that he was absolutely the right person for the position," said Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, Director of the ARRL Roanoke Division.

ARRL Field Organization Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X, said, "Marc was a wonderful ambassador for ARRL. While working him over the years, I sensed that he really enjoyed sharing his interest in amateur radio, and he knew how to encourage others to participate and get involved."
 
Tarplee is survived by his wife, Lee, W7LEE, and his daughters, Austin and Marley.

A memorial service for Tarplee will be held at the Learning Commons in Building L at York Technical College, 452 South Anderson Rd., Rock Hill, South Carolina on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at 1:00 PM.

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