Remembering Dwight

My good friend and 3905 Century Club colleague Dwight Greenberg, WF4H, passed away at age 75 on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at his home in Hughes Springs, Texas, following complications from open-heart surgery. Dwight had lived for many years in Cocoa, Florida, just an hour from my home, which made it easy to work together and, just as important, to sit down occasionally and shoot the breeze. Two months have now passed since his death. I still miss Dwight’s hearty laugh and his loyal friendship.

I want to remember this larger-than-life character and share a few memories with those who knew him, and perhaps with others who wish they had.

The Call

Dwight called me the day before he died and left a voicemail. He was home from the hospital and wanted to catch up. The timing, cruelly, couldn’t have been worse. At the moment he called, I was undergoing hernia repair surgery.

The next day, while sitting in my recliner recovering, the phone rang. Seeing Dwight’s number, I answered cheerfully, “Hiya, SICKO!!” Instead, it was his wife of 56 years, Beth. Before she said anything more than, “Ben, this is Beth…,” I knew. My heart sank as she continued, “…Dwight passed away this morning.”

I immediately regretted my boisterous greeting and told her how sorry I was. Beth, stalwart even in her grief, gently reassured me. “You didn’t know,” she said.

Before we ended the call, she asked me to take care of club matters. More on that later.

The Man

Who was Dwight Greenberg?

First and foremost, he was a family man. Dwight and Beth had recently celebrated 56 years of marriage. They have a daughter, Heather, a son-in-law, Arlen, and a granddaughter, Lindsey. Dwight served in the U.S. Air Force for 21 years, retiring in 1989 as a Master Sergeant. After his military career, he spent 25 years working for Harris L3 Corporation.

Dwight and Beth also shared a passion for exotic birds, raising them for many years. Dwight held numerous leadership positions with the American Federation of Aviculture, including Florida Regional Director, Southeastern Regional Director, First Vice President, Secretary, and Chairman of the Florida Federation of Avian Societies.

Another shared interest was lighthouses. Together, they visited more than three hundred around the world. Dwight served as a docent with the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation, leading tours of both the lighthouse and its museum.

He also served as a net control station for the National Hurricane Watch Network, a role that placed him on the front lines during Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf hurricanes.

Dwight was first licensed as an amateur radio operator in 2010 as KJ4SGI. Later, he obtained the vanity call sign WF4H, which he proudly held for the rest of his life.

The Ham

Back in 1968, as a newlywed in Connecticut, Dwight admired his father-in-law’s Collins S-Line ham shack. He wanted one of his own. Life intervened. An empty wallet, military service, and the responsibilities of career and family delayed that ambition for forty years.

In 2010, the stars finally aligned. Dwight was 59½ and cashed out his IRA. Suddenly, the ham shack was within reach. He earned his Technician Class license at Orlando HamCation in February 2010, upgraded to General in April, bought his first HF rig, strung up a G5RV, and was on the air. KJ4SGI had arrived.

The Club

For those unfamiliar, the 3905 Century Club was founded in 1977 to promote on-air activity and issue awards. Dwight joined around 2010 while living in Cocoa and proudly attended every annual “Eyeball” gathering from 2011 forward. I joined a few years later and first met Dwight in person at the 2014 Eyeball in DePere, Wisconsin.

I became more deeply involved with the club that year, eventually serving as Awards Secretary and later Fourth Area Director. Dwight, meanwhile, was elected President in 2016 and served a two-year term. Afterward, he continued serving on advisory and bylaws committees. When my assistant director stepped down in 2020, I asked Dwight to take the role. I was honored when he accepted.

Sadly, I would ultimately be the one who broke the sad news to the Club that one of its leading members had passed away. I informed the President and made the announcement to the members via the on-line forum. Later that night, the nets would pay tribute to Dwight as a “silent key”, checking him in for one last time.

The Master

The 3905 Century Club Master’s Degree is its pinnacle award, recognizing persistence, service, and operating courtesy. Dwight earned that distinction as Master #72 in 2020.

When I asked him what it meant, he likened it to earning an Amateur Extra license. “General is fine,” he said, “but there’s more to do.” Then he added, “Finish what you start.” And he did.

The Shootout

The Mobile Shootout had long been a feature of Eyeballs but had fallen into disarray. After I accidentally won it in 2018, Dwight decided it was time to fix it properly. Together, we rebuilt it from the ground up. After delays due to venue issues and the pandemic, the first fully realized shootout finally took place in 2021 in Louisville, Mississippi.

Dwight ran it like a seasoned Master Sergeant. It worked flawlessly. He went on to lead the event in subsequent years, and upon his passing, I felt it was time to step aside and let others carry it forward.

The Eyeballs

Dwight was the life of every Eyeball. His cigar-fueled bull sessions were legendary. Beth often attended as well, contributing quietly and generously.

Attending the event at DePere, Wisconsin in 2014, Dwight was the 40-meter Early Net Coordinator and a frequent net control station. That net’s start time had been the subject of endless debate. Dwight resolved the issue in Wisconsin by standing before the assembled membership holding a shotgun and announcing the time was set. If anyone wished to argue, they could step forward. Laughter followed. The debate ended.

At the 2017 Eyeball in Upperco, Maryland, shortly after Dwight’s heart attack, he was outside raising antennas while the rest of us talked inside. Beth finally had enough. “Get out there and help Dwight!” she said. “None of you just had a heart attack!” We complied.

That year, we presented Dwight with a gag plaque depicting him as the eagle on the presidential seal, smoke emanating from his beak and a cigar in his talon. It hung proudly in his shack until his move to Texas.

Dwight’s final Eyeball was in Guthrie, Oklahoma, in 2025.

The Loss

Many members will miss Dwight, even if they don’t yet realize how much. His presence will be absent from Eyeballs, Zoom sessions, and late-night conversations. The club will feel quieter without him.

But Dwight lives on in our stories, our memories, and the friendships he helped forge. For those of us who knew him well, that light hasn’t gone out.

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