City of Columbia

December 2012 Volunteer of the Month – Wes Sherman

Sometimes a hobby turns into a great volunteer opportunity. This happened to Wes Sherman, who for the past several years has volunteered at the Columbia/Boone County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). The MRC provides support during public health emergencies, non-emergency events, and various Columbia/Boone County activities. To help the MRC communicate with each other and with emergency response groups, Ham and VHF radios are used. 

Ham radios piqued Wes’s interest when his older brother came home from WW II with an amateur radio instruction booklet. Time passed; Wes taught engineering at Mizzou, started an investigation business, and testified as an expert witness at trials. Retirement began to loom, and Wes remembered his interest in Ham radios. He obtained his license and was hooked. The City of Columbia asked him to teach a class and then to help with their emergency response equipment. 

For MRC, Wes, whose call sign is WB0SE, solves Ham and VHF radio problems, participates in monthly tests with the state department, performs physical maintenance, helps update and choose new equipment, and teaches classes in operating and maintaining the equipment.

With his infectious laugh, Wes says that he “doesn’t really think of it as volunteering.  It’s a hobby that is a combination of being both useful and fun.  He is fortunate,” he says, “to be able to something he really enjoys.”

Written by volunteer Theresa Nelson