WØDCX David R. 'Dave' Corbin Chesterfield , MO QCWA # 38528 Chapter 19

First Call: WNØCFB issued in 1970

I was born in Indiana and then spent my formative years in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. I became interested in electronics as a teenager; at first it was hi-fi and stereo equipment, and then came ham radio. I became licensed as a Novice ham at age 16, as WNØCFB, and operated for almost two years before losing interest and letting my license expire. Speech and debate team, as well as general socializing, dominated my life during my high school years.

I began college thinking I would major in Psychology and then go to law school, a logical extension of my passion for speech and debate. This beautiful plan was abruptly derailed by a particularly charismatic and inspirational biology professor during my first semester at the University of Missouri - Kansas City. My fate was sealed, and I went on to eventually earn a Ph.D. in molecular genetics at the University of California - San Diego. I found my way into the emerging field of agricultural biotechnology and over the course of my career conducted research and development at several prominent biotechnology companies and research institutions. My work was primarily on genetic engineering of major crop species for resistance to insect pests and on the development of new gene editing technologies for plants.

After retirement, I was bitten by the radio bug for a second time and became licensed again at age 64. Call me old fashioned, nostalgic, or even a 'dinosaur' (a dear friend's favorite epithet for me), but I still prefer operating on HF using Morse Code. In fact, so far this time around, I operate only CW and QRP. However, I am open to evolving and learning some new things; maybe more power, maybe SSB or maybe even digital modes (gasp!). One of the things I love about ham radio as a hobby is that there is always something interesting to think about and new to learn. Perhaps it will be possible to teach an old dog some new tricks.

July 31, 2021