The AM Forum
March 28, 2024, 09:55:52 AM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
 
   Home   Help Calendar Links Staff List Gallery Login Register  
Pages: [1]   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Now a Story from Jean  (Read 31506 times)
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
W2DU
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 490

Walt, at 90, Now 92 and licensed 78 years


WWW
« on: February 09, 2011, 03:21:40 PM »

I've been running off at the keyboard for too long already, and think it's high time for Jean (xyl) to have a turn. Although she calls it a 'fairy tale', I'm here to tell 'ya every word of it is true:

                                 A Fairy Tale That Came True!
                                                By
                                     Jean Mayhew-Maxwell
 
    Once upon a time there was a 15-year-old boy, who was so much in love with a 15-year-old girl that he couldn’t sleep or eat. His lovesickness was very real but he couldn’t talk to her about it. He thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. They both played in the Mt. Pleasant High School band, but he was two years advanced from her scholastically, and graduated from high school the year she was a sophomore, in 1935, when they were both 16. He did all sorts of things to get her attention, like arranging the music for piano and three trumpets for himself and two friends to perform, in the hope that SHE would accompany them, and he could thus be close to her. (The Trio, with HER on the piano, performed at an assembly program.) He also took to writing notes to her in study-hall (remember those days?) since he was absolutely tongue-tied in her presence and couldn’t speak at all. In one of those notes he invited her to the senior prom.
     Any 15-year-old girl would be ga-ga over such a possibility, so she hurried home to ask her parents’ permission to go. To her embarrassment, they finally acceded but only under the stipulation that THEY would have to escort her both to and from the dance. Oh, woe. But yes, she wrote back her acceptance to the boy, (under those embarrassing conditions—better that than nothing.) And it was not until she had written a note back that she would like to go with him, he suddenly realized that he had asked a girl to a prom AND HE DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO DANCE!  (He had attended many dances previously, but as a musician in the band.)
     He promptly enlisted the help of a buddy who knew the dance steps and practiced all morning the day of the dance. To no avail. He was terrible. Like a person dancing on stilts. And to make matters worse, he couldn’t seem to talk to her either. One 5-word sentence remains in memory:  “Would you like to dance?” and that was about it. A distressing first date for them both and the only date they ever had with each other.
     He returned to his home in Mt. Pleasant MI, after serving in the Navy during World War II, with his wife and baby Bill, (now W2WM), engineered and built Mt. Pleasant's first radio-broadcast station, WCEN, after which RCA hired him away. He spent the remainder of his career with them as an electrical engineer in Princeton, NJ, managing their antenna laboratory, and designing antennas which now orbit the Earth on satellites giving us our long-range weather forecasts. He also has antennas on the Moon Buggies parked in NASA’s used car lot on the Moon. Several of his antennas are in the Smithsonian, including those on the World’s first weather satellite, TIROS 1. He played trumpet during WW2 with such big bands as Alvino Rey. On retiring to Florida, he first played trumpet, and then string bass with the Deltonans in DeLand, a Glenn Miller-style, 14-piece big band, made up of retired professional musicians, Having been too ill to continue for the last couple of years, he previously played regular Friday/Saturday gigs with a small jazz group at the Royal Bar and Grill, a country club at Canadian Lakes, with an occasional stint at the Brass Café and Saloon in Mt. Pleasant.
     After being retired for 15 years and widowed for 12, he decided that he was reading altogether too many obituaries of those who had been close to him in his early years, and decided to do something about it--he would have been devastated had he ever seen her name there. Fortuitously, he later saw her picture and an article in a professional publication, indicating that she had married, raised a family and had a rewarding career, all without his knowledge of her whereabouts. He acted upon his wishes to find out more about her, and called her to ask permission to send some pictures and to ask for some from her.
     The lady was shocked (and pleasantly surprised) to hear from him after 61 years, for she didn’t know where HE had spent his life either. Her immediate reaction was “What a marvelously youthful and vigorous voice this man has!,” knowing, of course, that he had reached the same age as she, and might possibly show that age in his voice, which he did not.  It is also important to remember that she had really not heard his voice much in his youth. (He couldn’t talk to her, remember?)
     Well, now he could and did talk…wonderfully. So wonderfully that, as one phone call led to another, the lady fell hopelessly in love with the voice of a man she had not seen in 61 years. After several Fed Ex, Fax and e-mail messages, supplemented by many phone calls, they decided that surely a three-day, get-acquainted cruise was in order, and he immediately booked it. She flew to DeLand, Florida to meet him, and her opening words (after a giant hug) were, “Where did you say this boat is going?” To which he replied, “I can’t remember. I’ll have to look it up.”
     To say that they had the best time of their lives on that cruise would be the understatement of the year.  And at the Captain’s cocktail party, when he took her in his arms to dance with her, he took two steps, and she flew promptly to the Moon to join his antennas. For now he could and did dance…wonderfully. How a scientist of his caliber could also be such a true romantic is mind-boggling to say the least. But when he also said, “Figuratively speaking, I’ve been waiting for you all my life,” the lady succumbed completely, and decided that her destiny had become irrevocably joined with his for whatever time is left to them both.
     They are living their remaining years together. In the winter months (November through April) they can be reached at his home in DeLand. In the summer they will be at her home in Mt. Pleasant, MI.
     And for the record--his name is WALTER MAXWELL, known to ham-radio operators as W2DU, and on the Internet as walt@w2du.com, and his web page at www.w2du.com . He is retired from RCA’s Astro-Electronics Division. Her name is JEAN BINKLEY MAYHEW-MAXWELL, Professor Emeritus, Central Michigan University.
     On February 27, 1997, Jean and Walt were quietly and romantically married on the Caribbean island of Anguilla, in the Netherlands Antilles. Even though they both reached 91 years in 2010, their perpetual honeymoon would make 20-year-olds envious. Furthermore, each February they have traveled to their Eden on Anguilla to celebrate the anniversary of this twilight marriage, which was surely made in Heaven. They will continue the travel as long as their health permits. However, only their fairy godmother is allowed to accompany them.
     PS—to date they have participated in eight cruises on the Caribbean and the Atlantic, and four trips to Europe that include twelve countries,
Logged

W2DU, ex W8KHK, W4GWZ, W8VJR, W2FCY, PJ7DU. Son Rick now W8KHK.
KX5JT
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 1954


John-O-Phonic


« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2011, 01:15:14 AM »

Love it!
Logged

AMI#1684
K5WLF
Guest
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2011, 01:17:35 AM »

A wonderful story, Walt. My congratulations and best wishes to both you and Jean.

ldb
K5WLF
Logged
W3SLK
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 2651

Just another member member.


« Reply #3 on: February 12, 2011, 05:20:31 PM »

If'n' I tend to forget as my "traditional four-wire core memory" sometimes looses its retention, I want to say 'Happy Aniversary' about 2 weeks early!  Grin
Logged

Mike(y)/W3SLK
Invisible airwaves crackle with life, bright antenna bristle with the energy. Emotional feedback, on timeless wavelength, bearing a gift beyond lights, almost free.... Spirit of Radio/Rush
W7TFO
WTF-OVER in 7 land Dennis
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 2521


IN A TRIODE NO ONE CAN HEAR YOUR SCREEN


WWW
« Reply #4 on: February 12, 2011, 09:19:42 PM »

I just love a good "radio romance" Smiley

73DG
Logged

Just pacing the Farady cage...
W2DU
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 490

Walt, at 90, Now 92 and licensed 78 years


WWW
« Reply #5 on: February 12, 2011, 09:20:57 PM »

Thanks Mike, your kind thought is appreciated.

Jean &  Walt
Logged

W2DU, ex W8KHK, W4GWZ, W8VJR, W2FCY, PJ7DU. Son Rick now W8KHK.
KD6VXI
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 2648


Making AM GREAT Again!


« Reply #6 on: February 17, 2011, 12:56:10 PM »

Jean,

Thanks for sharing such an inspirational story....  It really is a wonderful story.

Walt, cherish her...  She's a keeper! Smiley


--Shane
KD6VXI
Logged
W2XR
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 890



« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2011, 11:47:19 PM »

Dear Walt and Jean,

What an absolutely marvelous and delightful story! I'm surprised that I actually missed this earlier post.

I printed this for my wife, so she could enjoy it as much as I did. And she thought it was just as wonderful.

I wish you many more years of love and enjoyment together, and it is obvious that both of you found your true soulmate, as rare as that can be.

Perhaps we all need to be exposed to more heartwarming stories like this during the course of our lives.

And Jean; may I ask what you were a professor emeritus of?

73,

Bruce

Logged

Real transmitters are homebrewed with a ratchet wrench, and you have to stand up to tune them!

Arthur C. Clarke's Third Law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic".
W2DU
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 490

Walt, at 90, Now 92 and licensed 78 years


WWW
« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2011, 05:58:26 PM »

 Hi Bruce,

Jean and I are pleased that you found our story interesting. We consider ourselves lucky to have found each other after such a long time apart.  We're still enjoying life, and do a little kicking, but not quite as high as at earlier times. We're positively amazed at the number of AMers who have read our story!

Jean was a professor of speech and communications at Central Michigan University for 31 years in our home town of Mt. Pleasant, MI. Jean has degrees from both Michigan State and U of Michigan. My BS was from CMU--had to walk a mile to HS, but only one block to the University.

Being an alumnus of CMU I was receiving the alumni newspaper, and in July 1996 there was a picture of Jean and an article about her. That's when I called her on the phone and the rest is history.

Walt
Logged

W2DU, ex W8KHK, W4GWZ, W8VJR, W2FCY, PJ7DU. Son Rick now W8KHK.
W1DAN
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 899



« Reply #9 on: March 06, 2011, 07:59:11 PM »

Walt and Jean:

A magnificent tale and journey for you both!

Thank you for sharing this great personal story.

Keep dancing!

73,
San
Logged
WA1GFZ
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 11152



« Reply #10 on: September 13, 2011, 03:15:12 PM »

what a nice story!
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

AMfone - Dedicated to Amplitude Modulation on the Amateur Radio Bands
 AMfone © 2001-2015
Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines
Page created in 0.044 seconds with 18 queries.