Some of the WMI & LEC Crew and Their Recollections
NAME | JOB | YEARS |
H. E. Hageman (SK) | Corp. President (early) | 1928-64 |
Robert Fox (SK) | Chief Engineer | 1930s |
H. P. Boswau (SK) | Chief Engineer | ca. 1941 |
Robert Gilliland (SK) | Operator | ca. 1941 |
Don Heisner W8CJI-K4FWF (SK) | Chief Engineer | 1938?-46 |
Wesley A. Goodell (SK) | Manager of Field Operations | 1946 - 1978? |
Mrs. Hugh Gawn | Operator | ca. 1946 |
Mrs. Henry Pintur | Operator | ca. 1946 |
Jack Cain (SK) | Executive VP of LEC (late) | Retired 1978 |
Raymond Cox | General manager of LEC | Retired 1978 |
Marvin Deitch | Operator | ca. 1953 |
Donald Arty | Operator | 1969-84 |
Helen Berrington McCalla (SK) | Operator | 1967 - ? |
Paul Romoser (SK) | LEC Chief Engineer | ? |
Carroll Peabody W8ADK (SK) | Service Tech./Service Dispatcher | Mid 40s -1977 |
Ross Herrick | Superintendent - Lorain C. Radio | ca. 1960 |
Mark Karney N9JWF | "Jack of all trades" | 1965-6 |
Ray Gerbrand W8PAI (SK) | Chief Operator | 1940-1969+ |
Lady OP Merthe | Operator | 1960s |
Frank Sonye W8FKZ (SK) | Operator | ?<1966>? |
Dick Rocher (SK) | Operator | ?<1966>? |
Bill McClellan (SK) | Operator | ?<1966>? |
Carl Boughton (SK) | Operator | ?<1966>? |
Bob Carver | Purchasing Agent | ? |
Dennis Widdows W9VHN (SK) | Maint. Technician - Chicago | 1962-79 |
Chuck Reynolds WA8WUU | Maint. Technician | 1967-80 |
M. C. (Mickey) Wills | Service Manager | Retiere 1978 |
Richard Hartwig, K8ML | Sr. Technician - LEC factory | 1962-80 |
Harvey Ball, W8FYX (SK) | Maint. Technician - Sault St. Marie | ? |
Mike Cross, K8JLO | Maint. Tech. - Lorain & St. Louis | 1964-69 |
Gary Good, WA8WAZ | Maint. Technician - Lorain | 1966-70 ? |
John D Flood | Maint. Technician - Toledo | 1972-75 |
John D Flood | Technician Computer Op. Jr. Eng. | 1975-78 |
Full names of living crew members will be removed upon their request.
John Dean provided a 1964 list of LEC employees A-K and L-W saved by this father-in-law Frank Bako, a former LEC employee. Richard Hartwig, K8ML has provided listings of LEC employees in 1980 and 1982-1 and 1982-2. Personal addresses and telephone numbers have been removed from the last 3 lists.
One WMI operator remembers: "As for me having any interesting memories from my days as a ship-to-shore marine radiotelephone operator, the only one that comes to mind is a call from Arthur Godfrey's Aircraft and Art Carney telephoning Audrey Meadows --- those were thrills for me since I always enjoyed all three of them on Television."
In 1979, Jack Cain was awarded the National Marine Electronics Association's Fessenden Award for his development of Lorain Electronics' integrated VHF Radio Communications Network serving the Great Lakes. The Fessenden Award is not an annual award but one that is given when warranted.