From David's Desk
July 25 2005
Sharing Memories
This is a very special image I wanted to share with you. It seems so often that radio stations from the past are just words in an old newspaper, and fading memories. Every now and then, we're lucky to find something more tangible.
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Dick Genaille & the WXLG jeep
© Dick Genaille Collection, Radio Heritage Foundation
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Here's Dick Genaille from Ridgefield Park, NJ and Petty Officer-in-Charge of the WXLG transmitter on Kwajalein. Yes, that's a GI jeep with 'Radio Station WXLG' written on the front, and a very proud Dick alongside. The original photo was taken almost 60 years ago, and Dick's wife just gave him a very large blown up print of the same photo last month!
Dick has contributed a great personal story about life at an AFRS station in 1945, and more wonderful photos. His contribution is coming on-line soon. Watch out for it, it's a keeper!
We're all the richer for radio people sharing their memories. We've got more in the stockpile, such as Don Purvis and his photos from WVUG Alaska, even more about KMTH Midway, the New Zealand stations in occupied Japan, VUNC stations at Okinawa and South Korea and many more. They'll be coming on-line as soon as we can get them ready.
It's around the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII in the Pacific. Many AFRS, Australian AAAS and British FBS stations sprang onto the airwaves between 1945 and 1946. We'll remember as many of these stations as possible in the coming months. If you've got your own memories, stories, images, memorabilia and more about these stations and the entertaining characters who made them possible, we'd love to hear from you, and share these with others.
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WXLG sign & group
© Dick Genaille Collection, Radio Heritage Foundation
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Here's a final image from Dick Genaille's WXLG collection. A happy bunch of campers indeed! Dick tells us that H Grady Quillin [Kingsport TN] from the transmitter staff is at right, Kenny Devine [Chicago IL] the USN cook is at left, and the rest of the WXLG office staff make up the crew in front of the station signpost on Kwajalein. Thanks so much Dick!
Christmas Island Radio
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Christmas Island transmitter building and tower
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To people living in the developed economies of the world, information is shared in ways which were not possible a decade or two ago. Radio and television broadcast stations and broadcasting networks make major contributions to the information exchange and are crucial elements of the global communications network.
> read more
Pedro Gonzalez KELW
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KELW logo.
© Eric Shackle Collection
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You're probably familiar with the expression 'Beautiful Downtown
Burbank' which was applied wryly to that part of The Valley in the
greater Los Angeles conurbation known as the City of Burbank. Home
of TV and movie studios now, but 75 years ago it was no more than
a peaceful rural area on the other side of the Hollywood Hills.
> read more
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 "WXLE jeep")
 "WXLG sign")
 "Christmas Island transmitter building and tower")
 "KELW logo")
