Fr Moran Of Kathmandu

Known throughout the amateur radio world as 'Father Moran, 9N1MM' ("Nine En-One Mickey Mouse") he was one of its most celebrated and best-loved figures. He was also a priest dedicated to helping and educating the young people of India and later Nepal. In his old age Father Moran had the energy of a young man and a mind as sharp as a razor, with an unending stream of anecdotes about life in Nepal and elsewhere. Many of those anecdotes can be found in this book. It starts with Marshall Moran's childhood in Chicago, recounts his calling to join the Society of Jesus, his lengthy seminary studies, and his eventual ordination as a priest. Marshall felt called to work in India, and set out 1929 to establish a mission school in Patna. He came to know Mahatma Gandhi well, and drove Gandhi around in his jeep in an attempt to restore peace during Hindu-Muslim riots. But from the moment he first saw the Himalayas he felt drawn - particularly to the mysterious kingdom of Nepal. Twenty years after arriving in India and with the school now running successfully, he asked to be transferred to Nepal. In the early 1950s Nepal was a closed society in an almost impossibly remote mountain kingdom. There were no fights into the country, and Marshall's journey across treacherous mountain passes took several days by rail, bus and even horse-drawn carriage. Marshall Moran established St. Xavier's school and remained a resident in Nepal for the rest of his life. He became a close acquaintance and confident of the Nepalese kings, and friendly with John (later Lord) Hunt and Edmund Hillary, the first to climb Everest. Amateur radio played a big part in his life. He "discovered" it at a young age whilst still in the USA, but never took out a licence. Missionary work in India and Nepal meant that, while amateur radio remained a latent interest, he was unable to pursue the hobby seriously (although he was a daily listener to the BBC World Service shortwave news broadcasts). It was only in 1960, at the age of 54, that he felt able to devote some time to amateur radio. He was one of a group of three individuals who obtained the first ever amateur radio licences issued in Nepal.