2008: BOB BALLANTINE - W8SU - RECALLS ANOTHER LOCAL HAM D

Hey Bob: As long as you have all these wonderful memories of your amateur radio years, I'm sure you won't object if I share your impressive retrospectives with the visitors to this site. Your submission recalling Sid Dietz and his ' 49 Plymouth are equally interesting. I am having problems with the graphic, but I will eventually get it on this site. THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR INPUT; PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTRIBUTE AS YOU RECALL OTHER MATERIAL FROM THE PAST.
TOM GLOVER
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FROM W8SU:

Tom, here is a gifted Trenton Area amateur W2HX A.G. Wentzel Jr 1904-1995 Affectionately known as "BB" - Wentzel expired at age 91 in 1995 - He was born in Philadelphia and resided in Trenton since 1912 - A grad of Trenton School System and the School of Industrial Arts - now Mercer county Community College. BB completed a four year technical course and three years of evening classes in electrical engineering. Mr. Wentzel taught electrical engineering laboratory at the School of Industrial Arts for 36 years.

WW2 came along and he was a field engineer with Aluminum Company of America. He later joined Princeton Univ Palmer Labs for telemetering of unmanned missiles and airplanes. At wars end transferring to Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory as an electrical engineer and designed a power sub-station for the hydrogen fusion project. While at the University he designed and built the transmitter for measuring the pressure of the atomic bomb drop at Bikini Atoll.

After his retirement from the fusion project he was in charge of the communications for Mercer County Radio System, which included the highway department, airport and sheriff's department for 18 years. He was a volunteer with the Office of Emergency Management for 30 years.

Mr. Wentzel was one of the oldest radio operators in the U.S.A. licensed in 1919 continuously with 2HX. In 1920 he built the first radiophone station in the world equipped with two way radios for the Trenton Fire Department. Our subject was the oldest continuous member since 1922 of the Engineers Club of Trenton, the 1989 recipient of the Certificate of Merit Award, life member of IEEE, AMSAT, SOWP, QCWA, DVRA of Trenton and also a fellow in the Radio Club of America. He was awarded a 75 year plaque by National QCWA as a licensed radio amateur. His gift and talent was enormous.

Your author had worked BB many times on 75 Meter Phone in the 50's especially on Saturday mornings on the old AM group. He was cordial and always helpful. Partially scripted from QCWA Chapter 5.

W8SU 2008