Thormod “Tom” Bøe, LA7OF, of Horten, Norway, passed away on Monday, March 21. He was 71. Bøe was President of the Norsk Radio Relae Liga (NRRL), Norway’s IARU Member-Society.

Bøe actively worked for the Amateur Radio cause throughout his adult life in both a private and professional capacity. For many years, he worked on spectrum management matters with the Norwegian administration, was extremely active in CEPT and ITU forums and served as Director of the European Radiocommunications Office (ERO) in Copenhagen from 1998-2006.

“Tom was particularly active at WARC-79 and was instrumental in securing many of the frequency allocations that we all enjoy using on a daily basis,” said Dave Court, A92IO/G3SDL. “In all these activities, he always kept an eye on what he could do to contribute to Amateur Radio.” Court was Bøe’s predecessor as ERO Director.

ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, remembered Bøe fondly: “Tom was the spokesman for Norway in Committee 5, which was responsible for all frequency allocations -- and I do mean all, as the entire radio spectrum was under review at WARC-79. Norway was an outstanding supporter of Amateur Radio at the conference, and Tom was recognized as the ‘most valuable delegate’ by the IARU team.”

Sumner said it was “a great privilege to know and work with Bøe in Geneva during WARC-79, and on subsequent occasions during his decades of distinguished service to the ERO and the NRRL. His countless colleagues throughout the world share the grief and loss, as well as many fond memories of his friendship and achievements.”

An avid CW operator, Bøe enjoyed experimenting with antennas. He was also very active in his local Amateur Radio group in Horten, just south of Oslo.