This Electrathon topic brought to mind Steve Van Ronk, who was a
nagging thorn in the side of Electrathon America. Electrathon America
finally when to court against Steve. Steve claimed all sorts of
infringement etc. for many years and threatened the regional chapters
(including Colorado) with lawsuits. Electrathon America "won" the suit
against Steve, and got some sort of restraining order, but the
competition never really recovered from Steve's relentless and dogged
efforts prior to the court's ruling.
I recently Googled Steve to figure out whatever happened to him as I
hadn't heard a peep from him for decades. I pieced together an
interesting story:
He toured in a converted vintage ford truck and sold his artwork
for quite a few years. (Not sure how he actually supported himself,
though.) He even went to Australia and New Zealand.
In about 2013, he sold all his worldly goods and bought a 41 ft
sailboat. He lived in it and fixed it up for a few years in dry dock,
and renamed it "Mystique". He sailed it to Mazatlan, Mexico in 2021,
(but it wasn't clear if he made this trip solo or found someone to help
crew the ship. I suspect alone.)
He then set sail for the Marshal Islands, alone. (This did not end
well.) After having a number of difficulties during the journey, he
diverted to Hilo, Hawaii. He _almost_ made it to Hilo, but ran into
trouble with the rudder just off shore and had to abandon the Mystique,
which wrecked on a reef. He was rescued by the coast guard, but escaped
with just his sodden passport.
He is now apparently penniless and, it seems, homeless in Hilo,
Hawaii. He doesn't have a phone or a computer.
He has a GoFundMe page that was put up by a kind acquaintance in Hilo:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-steve-van-ronk-get-back-on-his-feet
You may, or may not, wish to throw Steve a couple of bucks on his
GoFundMe page.
Bill D.
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