Lanny Priddy, K5LP
Silent Key

For publication 2-16-2008

Laurance L. Priddy, K5LP, age 67, of Aledo, TX, departed this world Wednesday, February 13, 2008, as a result of complications following Brain Surgery on Saturday morning, February 9, 2008.

Visitation will be at Greenwood Funeral Home, 3100 White Settlement Rd, Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday, February 17, 2008, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.

Funeral will be Monday, February 18, 2008, at 10:00 am at the Aledo United Methodist Church, Oak & Pecan, Aledo, TX, – Mapsco 810-C. Interment at Greenwood Memorial Park, Fort Worth.

Lanny’s family includes his wife, Kim, his daughter, Janie, two grandchildren, and his son, Thomas.

Born in Sweetwater, TX, on January 14, 1941, Lanny’s dad was the High School football coach and his mom taught English. Mr. Priddy entered the Navy and the family moved to Chicago until the end of WWII. They then moved to Gainesville, TX, where Mr. Priddy became the High School football coach. Next his dad moved them to Fort Worth to work as a football coach at Poly High School. Lanny attended Handley High School and was starting Tackle on the football team.

During this time Lanny developed an interest in Amateur Radio and was first licensed as KN5HTM in 1956 and upgraded to K5HTM in 1957. Hearing the strange code sounds from across the street, Philip Vinson inquired and soon found himself taking the Novice exam from Lanny. Phil, now K5MFE, and Lanny have enjoyed a very close, wonderful, lifetime friendship to this day. In 1978, Lanny traded his call for K5LP

After high school, Lanny spent one year at Texas Tech University on a football Scholarship.
He then transferred to The University of Texas at Arlington, participating in ROTC, receiving a commission, and graduating with a Degree in History. While at UTA he participated in the UTA Ham Club. Next he went to the University of Texas in Austin to complete his Law Degree.

He entered the Army as a 2nd Lt. and was stationed at Ft. Benning, GA. where he qualified as a paratrooper. He was later assigned to the Military Police and sent to Korea where he operated Amateur Radio as HL9KW in 1966 and 1967. While in Korea he met and married his wife Kim in 1966. Returning to the states, Lanny was stationed at Ft. Sam Houston, in San Antonio, TX, as the Military Police Commander, completing his military obligation.

Returning to Fort Worth, Lanny passed the Bar Exam and accepted a job with the Fort Worth City Attorney’s office. He later moved into private practice as a Personal Injury Attorney. At his death, Lanny was a lawyer for Advocacy Inc. in Dallas, a non-profit corporation that does social and legal work for people who have physical or mental disabilities.

In addition to being a Lawyer Lanny was a writer. He published three novels; Winning Passion in 1994, Son of Durango in 1996, and Critical Evidence in 2002. He had recently completed a forth novel. Risky Justice, and was in the process of seeking a publisher. During a visit with Lanny in the hospital, Sunday, February 10, 2008, the day after his Brain Operation, Phil, K5MFE, said Lanny was optimistic about a publisher expressing interest his new novel and was anxious to pursue this opportunity after leaving the hospital. Lanny died the next Wednesday. He had been a long time, active, member of the DFW Writers Workshop.

Lanny’s contributions to the Amateur Radio Service are truly remarkable in every respect.

As a ARRL volunteer counsel, Lanny represented many hams in their battles with city councils and homeowner associations trying to regulate antennas. Chris Imlay, W3KD, ARRL
General Counsel relates, “Lanny Priddy was doubtless among the top antenna lawyers in the country, if not the very best. He had unlimited energy and an uncanny ability to persuade land use authorities and explain their obligations with respect to antennas. Amateur radio has lost one of the best friends we ever had “. As an expert on PRB-1, Lanny persuaded several North Texas cities, including Dallas and Fort Worth, to allow hams to erect towers beyond PRB minimums. Lanny also represented many fellow hams for free as their legal counsel.

As a long time member of the Lone Star DX Association, Lanny was an award winning contester and DX’er. He also enjoyed working DX to get to know hams throughout the world.

Lanny had been a member of the Kilocycle Amateur Radio Club of Fort Worth for 50 years.

In the early years of Lanny’s Amateur Radio career he was involved in traffic nets and was a net control station for the North Texas Traffic Net on 75 meters. This net control experience was valuable in later years when he was a net control for Tarrant Co. SKYWARN Nets.

Severe Weather was one of Lanny’s primary interests. In 1978 he joined Claude Whitley, WB5FLQ, working the Amateur Radios in the Forecast Office of the National Weather Service. Lanny worked severe weather SKYWARN Nets in North Texas for 17 years. He later served as net control for Tarrant County RACES weather and disaster nets. He could be counted on to be there and in operation under any circumstances.

The model for Amateur Radio Public Service Events in Fort Worth is the Cowtown Marathon, beginning in 1979. Keith Pugh, W5IU, coordinator, remembers Lanny becoming the principal net controller on the 146.940 repeater, in about 1981. “His friendly and effective voice added stability to the net. He had a knack for calming people down in the “heat of battle” and extracting all of the pertinent information for the good of the operation. His clear analytical mind and memory could reduce most problems to a simple solution which he implemented with ease”. During last years Marathon event, Lanny earned the title “Net Control Emeritus” serving as advisor to new recruits for net control duty. The 30th Cowtown Marathon will be next Saturday, February 23, 2008. All of the Amateur Radio Nets that day will be dedicated to the memory of Lanny Priddy, K5LP, and this will be mentioned frequently during the running of some 12,000 Cowtown participants.

Lanny gladly shared his talents and station for the good of Amateur Radio in general. When it
Was time to launch AMSAT OSCAR 40 (AO-40), Lanny volunteered his competition class station as a relay station for the AO-40 Launch Information Net. Lanny also provided help for the Texas VHF-FM Society in a lawsuit over coordination issues for no charge. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed. He was given an Honorary Lifetime membership in the Society for his services. When he upgraded his ham radio station after his college days, he donated his old station to the Arlington State College Club Station.

Now is the time to stop and reflect. Consider the impact that Lanny Priddy, K5LP, made on the Amateur Radio Service. On the lives of those that were privileged to know him. Such a unique person, he was purely honest, kind, optimistic, and fun. He was never heard to utter a negative word about anything or any individual.

The sound of his key and the sound of his friendly voice will be long remembered and missed by all.

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