Woof - I live in Ak and thought getting a confirmed HL9 was a biggie - that and working Jim Smith (VK9NS Norwalk IS) on 10M SSB!
Jim is a SK as of April, so will no longer be able to delight the newer DX hounds.... a shame, one of the last of the real gentlemen of the old school
We are losing a lot of the old school guys, which is really too bad. I think of us as newbies, but we're pushing 60 these days . . . .