BlankWow, I was reading our July Scope, the Central Michigan Amateur Radio Club newsletter, when what a wondrous thing I beheld:
Gregg Mulder/WB8LZG
I thought I would tell you all of a very FB QSO I had the
day after Field Day. I was busy putting the rig and station
back together and after a quick check at 10 watts to verify
a good antenna connection, I gave the dial a spin to check
on the band conditions. I heard N1IBB calling CQ, and
decided to give him a buzz. Matt came back to me, with a
559 in Newton, Mass. near Boston. Here is where it gets
interesting. Matt is over 60 years old and blind. That
would normally be quite interesting, but the rest of the
conversation was fun. Matt had been a student of the
Michigan School for the Blind (now closed) on Lansing’s
old north side. My family had relocated here in 1967, and
my Father ran the A&W root beer stand on Old Grand River
and Ballard St. in the north end. Working at the root
beer stand at a young age gave me some very fond memories
of some of Lansing, Michigan’s best days. In the
60’s & 70’s the Michigan School for the Blind was a worldrenowned
training facility for the sightless. In fact, “little
Stevie Wonder” lived right behind the A&W for a time, and
was affectionately known to locals as “the blind boy from
Ballard St.”, was also a student there. As our conversation
toured through Lansing in our memories, it was quite
delightful to reminisce about some of our now gone businesses
that were going strong back then. Companies like
Knapp’s, Howmet , Motor Wheel, Oldsmobile, Estes Furniture,
Melling, Lindell, Wards, Grinnell’s, Lansing Electric
Motor, Wedemeyer’s, Jim’s Tiffany Place, Albert Pick,
Casa Nova, Ramon’s and of course, the A&W. Just to
name a few. (Sigh) Lansing was in its “heyday” back then.
Everyone had a job, and could afford to buy the goods we
made here. Our economy was in high gear, and the world
was at our fingertips! This was also when I first became a
Ham. Happy times for me growing up in the Ol’ north end.
With great memories of a prosperous time in our city. All
from answering a CQ from a ham far away. It is a small
world, and Ham Radio spans those distances to make it
even smaller. We said our 73’s and wished each other
well. I smiled to myself in the silent satisfaction of have
been able to be here to see all the changes.
Ours is truly a wonderful hobby. It has thrilled and fascinated
me for over 40 years, and continues to do so every
time I turn on the radio. Here is to even more excitement
the next time I turn on the rig. Where will my signals
take me tomorrow?
73, Gregg/WB8LZG
Steve, K8SP
Lansing, MI
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