Ben J. Kern Jr., president and chief executive officer of Natcom Inc., died Oct. 17 of complications from leukemia. He was 64.
Mr. Kern founded Natcom, an authorized Motorola Inc. paging system dealer and paging distributor, in 1989. The company is located in Ridgeland, Miss., with a second office in Orlando, Fla.
“Ben was a good friend, a savvy businessman and a gracious competitor,” said Michael Mosieur, president of Southeastern Wireless Group Inc. and Crystal Exchange. “He was founder and president of Natcom and Kern Pager Repair and I am founder and former CEO of RMS Communications. Our two companies `grew up’ together.
“I always looked forward to seeing Ben at every PCS show, sharing market news and strategies and just plain catching up. He had a down-home country charm and a keen understanding of the paging market. He was a unique and charismatic individual, and I will miss him very much.”
Mr. Kern also was a member of the Science & Technology Board, the Governors Telecommunications Task Force and the Capital Club. He was a Marine Corps veteran.
Memorials can be made to the Leukemia Society, 1088 Flynt Dr., Suite B2, Jackson, Miss. 39208.
Because Kern was sick with leukemia, he wrote this letter before he died:
I want to thank everyone in our industry for all the pleasure I received working with you. Natcom/Kern Pager Repair was started to provide quality repair service on a timely basis with low rates and I feel we did just that. All companies large and small received the same attention and I am sure you will continue to receive the same level of service or better for years to come. The communications field is changing for the better and Natcom is changing with it. Quality is now as it always was, the top priority.
A sincere thank you for allowing me to be of service to you.
Ben Kern
