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Title: Grandpa Smith turns 98 Post by: KE1GF on June 04, 2005, 12:16:36 PM Hey crew, Grandpa Smith turned 98 yesterday. He doesn't really show his age does he?
Granpa remembers the days of when you could by tubes at the local drugstore, they even had a tube tester there and also drycells. He built his first wireless with a galena crystal and a cats whisker and then later on built a one tuber running from a drycell... He's always loved shortwave listening and greatly admires the work that I've done. Sometimes he even tunes into me on his solid-state shortwave from his room and listens to us ragchewing late at night! (http://users.wpi.edu/~smithw/Grandpa_Smith/Grandpa_Smith_98th_Birthday_Scaled.jpg) Catch you on the air. Title: Grandpa Smith turns 98 Post by: K8SWL on June 04, 2005, 12:48:45 PM Not only does he look good, He looks happy !
Definately on his was to the century mark.. side note, I love talking with old timers that were involved with the technology in its infancy. Those that continue to maintain an interest are a special breed. Challenging the mind is a positive step in maintaining ones youth. R/ Mike Title: Grandpa Smith turns 98 Post by: Ed KB1HVS on June 04, 2005, 05:10:30 PM 98! God bless em!
Title: Grandpa Smith turns 98 Post by: W1UJR on June 04, 2005, 07:12:39 PM Nice photo Bill!
As Mike said, he does look happy; boy does a positive attitude have so much to do with longevity and enjoyment in life! Does your grandpa have his ham ticket, or was he licensed at one time Bill? Ah, to be around in the early days, the Golden Days of radio must have been a blast, think I was born 40 years too late. Tnx for sharing with us OM. Title: Grandpa Smith turns 98 Post by: Jack-KA3ZLR- on June 04, 2005, 07:46:12 PM Enjoy Him to the Fullest :D Excellent posting OM.
Title: Grandpa Smith turns 98 Post by: WB2CAU on June 04, 2005, 10:29:22 PM Bill, tell granpa that I wish him a belated Happy Birthday and I hope he has many more. What's his secret to longevity?
Title: Grandpa Smith turns 98 Post by: KE1GF on June 04, 2005, 11:55:21 PM Quote from: W1UJR Nice photo Bill! As Mike said, he does look happy; boy does a positive attitude have so much to do with longevity and enjoyment in life! Does your grandpa have his ham ticket, or was he licensed at one time Bill? Ah, to be around in the early days, the Golden Days of radio must have been a blast, think I was born 40 years too late. Tnx for sharing with us OM. Bruce, gramps never held a ticket but I still have his zenith trans-oceanic and his national nc-98 (which he purchased at the lafayette (SP?)) store. Old buzzard George W1GAC used to live in town and knows grandpa from when he was running the A&P&T store and also when grandpa went on to run his own store (Brown and Smith Co.) I plan on sitting down with a tape recorder and interviewing Grandpa about his experiences with technology throughout the years. It would be a great help if you guys could come up with some questions and I'll do up a page on my website about it. -Bill 'GF Title: A fine old man Post by: W1QWT on June 05, 2005, 04:31:44 AM Damn 98! I hope I make that FB old age and still have a smile on my face like your Grandpa.
Give him my best for me - tell him he be the dude! Wish him a happy b day belated from the Q Quote I plan on sitting down with a tape recorder and interviewing Grandpa about his experiences with technology throughout the years. It would be a great help if you guys could come up with some questions and I'll do up a page on my website about it. Yes Bill please get it all down before it is too late. Unfortunately I lost much of my maternal family info because I did not ask questions before people passed away. Quote Granpa remembers the days of when you could by tubes at the local drugstore, they even had a tube tester there and also drycells. Hell I remember that too! Anyway your grandfather looks like one fine business man. Anyone living that long and still smiling is one fine man. Your lucky to have such a repository of information. Ya know that smile on grandpa's face says it all! Best Regards Q Title: Grandpa Smith turns 98 Post by: W1UJR on June 05, 2005, 09:48:14 AM Quote from: KE1GF I plan on sitting down with a tape recorder and interviewing Grandpa about his experiences with technology throughout the years. It would be a great help if you guys could come up with some questions and I'll do up a page on my website about it. -Bill 'GF Now that is an excellent idea OM, outstanding way to preserve history. Possible questions: How old were you when you first became interested in radio? What was it like, or how did you go about buying/making parts for your early radios? What was the first station which you remember listening to, ham/commerical? What do you remember about that station, location/freq/content of broadcast? What did folks first think of radio, and those who were radio hobbyists? Did people really gather around the radio sets for listening parties? Finally, did W2VJZ's DX-100 strap as much back then? :p Bill, wonder if your grandpa saved any of his notes or early projects? When my elmer passed on his wife was kind enough to give me a huge notebook of his. It was chock full of tech notes, radio history, etc. Priceless material, after 7 years I still have not finished reading it! 73 OM |