W 1 O R S

Stratford Amateur Radio Club

Stratford, Connecticut USA 06614

History

History (1945-1988) Text

The History of

The Stratford Amateur Radio Club, Inc.

compiled by Douglas P. Waterhouse, KB1SS

assisted by James S. Cebik, KA1TXF

edited by Robert W. Betts, N1KPR

To the best of our knowledge, this history, authorized in 1994 by Club President Robert Betts, N1KPR, represents the first effort to put together a record of the Club's activities since its founding in 1945.

Unfortunately, these recordings have, of necessity, been accomplished principally by talking to members of today and of passing years due to the fact that a few years ago, a former officer made a unilateral decision resulting in the destruction of all past-written records. With the passing years, members of yesteryear have difficulty in remembering the activities of members of the earlier period.

Vic Politi, W1NU, a founding member of the Greater Fairfield Amateur Radio Association (Vic is a great record keeper and has a file of QST magazines that goes back more than 50 years) has supplied me with the early information on SARC and in the February 1995 issue of the FARA News, he wrote a two-page item covering much of SARC's early history which, for the purpose of this historical narrative, we will incorporate in the SARC Club History.

There have been various radio clubs in the City of Bridgeport under what Vic calls the "dim past," known as RARA, SCARA, and I TAPPA KEY. These three clubs went out of existence when we entered World War II in December 1941. At that time, our Washington Government decreed that all Amateur radio transmission would cease for the duration. Radio Hams that were not serving in one of our military branches, due to over age or a 4-F classification, were quickly utilized by the local Civil Defense in the War Emergency Service (WERS); under the leadership of Communication Officer, Cliff Fraser, W1TM, and his radio aide, Frank Sanchione. The Bridgeport Unit would also be responsible for the surrounding towns of Monroe, Easton, Trumbull, Stratford and Fairfield. Each of these towns would have their own Communications Officer and Radio Aide, reporting to Cliff and Frank, respectively.

In February 1941, the town of Stratford had four WERS units with Howard Potts, WKAO-31 as communications Officer and would, shortly, become a silent key. Walt Keeling, WKAO-44 would take over his post. Joe Dietz, WKAO-25, would be his assistant. (Please note, the call signs of WKAO did NOT signify a Ham license by the FCC.)

A license beginning with W1 plus two or three letters indicated an FCC Ham license, while WN1 indicated an FCC Novice license. The familiar W1ASO was the FCC license number of George Grosner, Club Trustee for 42 years, starting with its inception.

There were then about 10 or 12 operators in the Stratford WERS that included George, W1ASO and Jack, W1ASP. The WERS group became quite friendly and became a very close-knit group. Amateur licensing courses, both in theory and code practice, were held and some of the Stratford WERS group obtained their amateur operating tickets. (Note, all during WWII, the FCC continued giving operating tests, but would not issue amateur call signs.)

The first mention of the Stratford Amateur Radio Club appeared in the June 1945 issue of QST and it reads as follows: "The Stratford Amateur Radio Club welcomes visitors to its radio 'shack' which is located at 2427 Main Street, Stratford, Conn. Officers are Rene Sawyer, President; Joe Dietz, Vice President; and Walter Keeling, Secretary-Treasurer."

From this QST item, I would presume we can say that SARC began officially, in the spring of 1945, a few months before the war ended, officially, that August. In July 1946, it is reported that a Lt. Col. Mudge had resumed his theory classes at the Club and Red Corliss had loaned his surplus BC-375E for use at the Club Station W1ORS. (Vic Politi notes that the BC-375E was a "clunker." QST also noted that Keeling, W1OGQ, continued his net activities and drills were held with eight mobile units. SARC received its Certificate of affiliation with ARRL on September 9, 1946 and his event was duly noted in the December issue of QST (the actual certificate was dated August 21, 1946). It was also noted that the Club had installed a new two meter, three-element beam atop of the Red Cross Headquarters and it was working fine.

Throughout 1946 and 1947, the Club continued to hold code and theory classes for its members. The two-meter emergency net continued to grow and became a regular Sunday morning feature with anywhere from 40 to 50 hams reporting in. Many were mobile with an influx from surrounding towns.

In May 1947, the newly elected officials of the Club were: Joe Dietz, President; A. J. Mitchell, Vice President; Ernest Hughli, Financial Secretary; and George Grosner, Communications Officer . At this time, the Club started a junior group consisting of school children. In June of 1947, a field day was held in Nichols under the guidance of Wink Wight, W1BRL. This being the Club's very first field day activity, they neglected to send their score into ARRL for publication in QST.

Walt, W1OGQ, was cited by ARRL for being the Connecticut Section's most active Emergency Coordinator. In January 1948, the equipment at the Red Cross Station consisted of a surplus SCR-522 two-meter transmitter-receiver and a 60-watt CW rig on 3.5Mhz.

Officers for 1948 were Charles (Wink) Wight, President; Jack Mitchell, Vice President; Bill Walker, Secretary-Treasurer; and Joe Dietz, as Activities Chairman. In July of that year, Joe would finally get his Amateur ticket and become W1RFJ. That same month, John, W1KUO, had a nice write-up with photos of his shack on the front page of the local newspaper and the Club also had an item about their 1948 field day's activities in the same issue. Their score listed in QST was 1,746 points with 169 QSO's in 16 ARRL sections in the less than 30-watt class.

In January 1949, the Club was issued call letters, W1RCV, for their Red Cross Headquarters Station. The new call was then used for the regular Sunday emergency net. Officers elected for the year of 1949 were: Roger, W1HYF, President; George Grosner, Vice President; Joe Dietz, Secretary; and Mats Forslung, Treasurer.

In June 1950, with the Korean Conflict in full swing, Stratford's Emergency Coordinator was asked by Pete LeBrun to start a similar emergency net in Fairfield. The Sunday morning Stratford net, with about 60 stations reporting from surrounding towns, had become too cumbersome. Emergency coordinators were appointed by ARRL for Trumbull, Monroe, Bridgeport and Fairfield. These ECs were asked to start their own nets on different frequencies and also tie in with their local Red Cross and Civil Defense teams. Thus, in August 1950, Fairfield's EC W1OJR (none other than Vic Politi) called a meeting of available local Fairfield amateurs, meeting at Sauer's Radio Store in Fairfield Center, to form the Fairfield Amateur Radio Club and to tie in with the Red Cross and Civil Defense under the leadership of Charles W1EVM and Nat W1EYM. From that August 1950 beginning, FARA has grown into a thriving Club with approximately 150 members, its own Club repeater, and an excellent newsletter known as FARA NEWS.

The Boothe Brothers, Stephen and David, died in October 1948 and February 1949, respectively. In their identical wills, they named the Town of Stratford their beneficiary to the 32 acres of land and buildings consisting of what is now known as Boothe Memorial Park.

Title of the Boothe Property was formally transferred to the Town of Stratford on May 29, 1951 (Vol. 260, Pages 241-243 of Town Hall Records.)

In 1951, two-meter transmission was beginning to supplant 10 meters for emergency communications. Two meters worked much better at higher altitudes. (We will remember that two-meter repeaters had yet to come into the Ham Radio picture.)

Conversations with John Howe, WA1GBX, of Stratford, reveal that he trained for his novice license at the new SARC headquarters at Boothe Park and obtained his license in late 1951. John has been an Extra Class licensee for a great many years and is still active on the air. He has only the best of feelings for SARC over the intervening years for the help he was given while studying for his novice license.

After some lengthy probing, we were able to establish that Stratford Amateur Radio Club moved from Stratford Center to its new headquarters in Boothe Memorial Par in the fourth quarter of 1951. On page 76 of the January 1952 issue of QST (Station Activities Column), Roger Amundson, W1HYF, reported that SARC of Stratford has moved to new headquarters. Since Roger had to have his column info sent to the Editor by De-cember 20, 1951 in order for it to be printed in the January issue, it looks like the Club moved to Boothe Park in November or October 1951, not too long after the town of Stratford took formal possession in August 1951. (John Howe had told your historian (Doug) that he had attended Novice classes at Boothe Park in late 1951.)

One basic reason for moving was that when the phone lines went down during a storm, as they often did in earlier years, the Public Works Department took over communications but their radios could not reach distant areas such as the Lordship Sea Wall. It was learned that transmissions from Boothe Park could reach greater distances and it is the belief of operators such as Roy Cebik, that the town would welcome transmissions coming from high ground (Boothe) rather than from sea level (Stratford center).

I have a letter from Jim Cebik's son, Leroy, written in 1994, and his best recollection is that he became a member of the Club in 1953 when he was 14. Roy's letter tells us something about his period in the Club as a teenager trying to learn about Ham Radio from George Grosner, Joe Dietz, Harold Carter, Sr., and other seniors. He still has his QSL cards of the early 1954 period from his first contacts on the air after getting his novice license. Harold Carter, Sr. died in 1986, but we have talked to his sons, Harold Carter, Jr. and Tom, who were members when Roy was in the Club. All the Carters were Extra Class Licensees. Roy's QSL cards include those from Jack Arsenault, Peter Bohn, the three Carters, Joe Dietz, Paul Stagg, Fred Harrison, Harry Wechter and George Vakoubian.

Of interest, reported by Roy, is during the 1940s, the only class of operation on Ham Radio was the General Class. About 1950, the Novice and Technician classes were created. Later, in the Fifties, the Advanced and Extra classes came into being. For a time, General, Advanced and Extra Classes of licensees all had the same privileges on the air.

It was also reported that during the mid-fifties, the Club's station was strictly 80 and 40 meters CW. The only antennas that come to mind were a two-meter ground plane for emergency net use and a long wire running from the shack to the top of the clock tower.

Roy left the Club after high school, did one year at Yale University, then signed for four years in the U.S. Air Force. He attended college while in the Air Force, later attended other Universities, wound up with a doctorate and is now a Full Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. His technical writings appear, from time to time, in QST and other Ham Radio magazines and he has written a number of books on Ham Radio.

Tom Carter reports that he was a member from 1953 to 1960. In 1960, he moved to Scotland, living there several years with his family while his father (Harold Carter, Sr.) managed a new manufacturing plant for Singer Manufacturing Company. During his 1953-60 years at SARC, he recalls one of the moving spirits was Rene Sawyer, who was a Club Officer and one of the prime motivators during his 20 years as a member.

We are told that the Club had 48 members in 1960 and Bill Lawson was one of the movers. There is a lack of activity records, but it was recalled that SARC held a display of spark gaps in 1965 at 90 Acres Park in conjunction with the Barnum Festival. Bill Lawson ran the project.

In June 1961, Al Thorpe joined SARC. He tells us that during that period, Civil Defense remained active in the town with Al Pickus as Civil Defense Director. Al Thorpe obtained his Novice license in 1961 and his General one year later. Al dropped out of the Club in 1965 due to jobs taking him out of the area. We mention him here because he played an important role in the Club's rejuvenation 24 years later (1985).

After 1970, membership started to decline. Activity in SARC, was waning and a Club needs activity to retain its vitality. George Grosner was still active, but not the type to initiate the kinds of programs needed to keep a Club moving forward. He kept the Club going, but in a rather lethargic manner.

Frank Serra, a member of SARC since 1958 who is still active as of 1995, told your historians that the membership started declining in the 1970s. Some of the older members moved to Florida. The younger group dropped out because they felt there were too many bull sessions and a minimum of Ham Radio activity. Meetings were held on a monthly basis and the Club was held together by the older members. We talked to Ken Burton, who joined the Club in 1975, and he reported that there were two key men who sort of ran things - a member named Fred, who lived in Oxford and another Fred living in Stratford. Neither Ken or Frank Serra could supply any information about specific activities of the 1970s.

Frank Carter, Jr., returned to the Club in the early 1970s. He and his father both attended Club meetings and reported a lack of activity. Harold Sr. died in 1986. The few years preceding his death, apparently, George Grosner, Charles Obert, Ken Hallstrom and Al Mitchell held the group together. Meetings were mostly talk sessions. Harold Jr. recalls that in 1984, Charles Obert was president and he as Vice President. Some time later, between 1984-87, Jim Cebik joined the Club. Jim enjoys the distinction of having obtained his first Ham Radio license in 1922, but when he married in 1934, Jim discontinued his radio activities, not getting back into Ham Radio until 1970.

When the Michelob Golf Tournaments were initiated at Mill River Country Club during the mid-1980s, Jim was asked by MRCC to form a communications team with a two meter radio and phone in results to the leader board and MRCC headquarters. Doug Waterhouse joined the team in 1987 and met George Grosner, another team member. The two spent many hours at a card table with a battery-operated, two-meter base unit at the junction of holes 9 and 13 and during rag chewing with George, he told me about the moving of SARC headquarters from Stratford Center to, what he called, the "chicken coop" at Boothe Memorial Park.

We did not have a Club Historian at that time and did not ask George for more specific information. By the time we wanted more information, George was gone.

Apparently, there was some interest in the Club by some of its members. In 1984, the membership approved a new set of by-laws. The updated by-laws were approved on February 8, 1984, We noted that, among other things, they continued the existence on an "Executive Board" (Art. VII, Sec. 1) which group would run the Club's affairs in-between meetings. We cannot speak for the 1984-88 years, but when the new by-laws were approved in 1989, the Executive Board had been eliminated.

When Harold Carter Sr. died in 1986 at age 80, his Club lost two key members. Things were quiet at SARC and there was drifting. For the next two or three years, George Grosner (approaching 80) and a few other contemporaries met from time to time.

George was still active in 1988. Your two historians worked with him in August at the Michelob Golf Tournament communications team. Undoubtedly, George knew that he was slowing down because in December 1988, he asked Gary Moyher to try to get a group together to provide new leadership. We learned from Gary that George passed away the last week in December. A nucleus of a new group met in January and a nominating committee was formed. An election was held the second week in February 1989 with Al Thorpe being elected the new President. Gary Moyher became Vice-President and Treasurer while Doug Waterhouse was elected Secretary. Tony Vena, K1BUI became Communications Officer. At the March 1989 business meeting, Al Thorpe asked Doug Waterhouse to work on updating the by-laws. The Club voted to hold a Field Day the last weekend in June - the first Field Day in many years. At the first SARC Field Day, the Club learned as it went along. During the preceding winter, the long wire antenna broke from old age and a new one had to be rigged. In early August 1989, the revised by-laws were approved by the membership.

Later, in August, the Town of Stratford held a big celebration at Boothe Memorial Park to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the town's founding in 1639. During a visit to Boothe Park, the Lord Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon (Ted Lloyd) visited the SARC clubhouse and while there, filed a message with our Club operators to be sent via Amateur Radio from a station set up in our clubhouse to make contact with a British Amateur Radio station in Stratford-upon-Avon. Although there was an alleged contact between Stratford and England, this could not be confirmed. Al Thorpe, Club President, could not verify the contact and newsletter editor, Gary Moyer, who had a keen nose for news, did not mention any contact in his mid-September newsletter.

Doug Waterhouse, KB1SS / Jim Cebik, KA1TXF

December 1995

Editor's Note:

The years 1989 through 1993 saw significant and steady growth in both activity and membership at SARC. As mentioned in Doug's report, the club was operated under President Al Thorpe, K1TMW and various officers to include May, WA1EHK and Ray, WD1X during the period of 1989 through 1992. In 1993 Tom Wilson, WV1C presided as President with Adam, AA1HY (then KA1ZKI) as VP, May as Secretary and Bob, WW1S as Treasurer; Al was Communications Officer. In 1994 I was installed as President with Adam remaining VP, May remaining Secretary and Frank, WA2TJR as Treasurer. During the early part of that term, our Comm. Officer, Al, made an occupational change and was called out-of-town. Carl, N1ORW became Comm Officer, pro tem. The year 1995 saw the incumbent slate reinstalled - unopposed. Carl was elected Comm Officer and Al remained Trustee. Further information concerning the above years follows in the extracts from business meeting minutes and two issues of the President's "Year In Review".

Robert W. Betts, N1KPR

Club History Introduction & Forward Early Years 1945-1951 History (1945-1988) Text

Years of Revitalization (1989-1993) 1994 Year in Review 1995 Year in Review

1996 Year in Review 1997 Year in Review 1998 Year in Review 1999 Year in Review

Created and maintained by Robert P. Giuliani, W1RPG
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