Notable Individuals

  • Cleveland Abbe
    • Astronomer who collected weather data and later used telegraph operators to report weather conditions at their location.  Abbe would use this information to “predict” the weather as it approached his location in Cincinnati.  Abbe would become the 1st Director of the National Weather Service.
  • Fred W. Albertson
    • Law student who provided radio communications for the Greater Rockford, Untin Bowler (Robert  McCormick / Chicago Tribune), Professor Hobbs Expedition (Arctic Greenland), the MacMIllian & Richard Byrd Expedition (Antarctica) and Prof. Waterman’s Mesopotamia Expedition.  First direct simultaneous communications between Artic, Antarctic and University of Michigan.  Albertson would later represent Edwin Armstrong, Douglas Fairbanks and United Artists Studios.

  • Jack Burchfield
    • Co-Owner of Electro-Voice & Co-Founder of Ten-Tec, CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame
  • B. N. Burglund
    • UM Radio Operator who received the first distress call from Dudley Nichols.  The ARRL was created the following year (1914)

  • William Cook
    • Donated the funds to build the Cook Law Quad / UM Law School.  Mr. Cook served as legal counsel for John McKay and his telegraph companies.  Later, these companies were sold to Western Union.  Author, Cook on Telegraph Law
  • Horace (Dick) Crane
    • Inventor of the “Race Track Synchrotron” and recipient of the National Medal of Science, Chair of the Department of Physics
  • Detroit Observatory
    • The 1961 Inventory of the Detroit Observatory lists the purchase of telegraph keys and sounders.
  • Amos Dolbear
    • Student, Honorary Ph.D., Developer of the “Wireless Magneto” (and telephone)
  • Anthony England
    • Astronaut, UM Dean of Engineering & ARRL CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame
  • Electro Voice Company
    • Testing of E-V Microphones performed at the UM College of Engineering (Albert Kahn)
  • Howard Gerrish
    • Author; Electricity & Electronics textbooks. 
  • Karl Guthe
    • Faculty who experimented with wireless telegraphy
  • Irv Hoff
    • Pioneer in the development of RTTY.  First to receive data from the Explorer I Satellite.  Worked with Jonathan Schmidt and Vic Poor on transfer of images, development of the 8008 Processor, WinLink and LAN.
  • Huston Brothers
    • Cy, Irwin & Roscoe.  Each earned their Law Degree from the UM Law School. Would own Cigar & Pool Halls on campus, proud supporters of Michigan Football.  Would take bets- used the telegraph to receive football scores.  Responsible for moving the Detroit Lions to Detroit and their team colors.  Began the tradition with the “Cow-Bell” at the Michigan Footballl Bust.
  • Gail Ivory
    • Owner; Ivory Camera & Photography
  • Mel Ivory
    • Owner; Ivory Camera & Photography
  • M. K. Jessup
    • Detroit Observatory telegraph operator who maintained communications with the southern hemisphere observatory in Bloemfontien, Free State, South Africa.  Jessup proposed the presence of UFO’s.
  • Jim Kortge
    • Designer of several QRP radios, QRP Hall of Fame
  • E. Lloyd Kelly
    • Chair, Department of Psychology, W8KGG Trustee; South Quad / Huron Valley Amateur Radio                           Assn.
  • John Kraus
    • Antenna Theory & Design, pioneer in radio-astronomy, CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame
  • John Lawser
    • Sr. Engineer at ATT / Bell Labs and VOIP developer.
  • Floyd “Jack” Mattice
    • Student who provided the First Play-by-Play of a sporting event (UM Football vs Minnesota      “Little Brown Jug”) via telegraphy.
  • Dudley Nichols
    • Used his radio to make a distress call during the 1913 floods in Ohio.  Would then enroll at the university and become the W8AXZ club president.  Formed the Screen Writers Guild & recipient of an Academy Award
  • Paul Oscanyan
    • First portable radio operation from Greenland with the Hobbs Expedition and possibly the earliest marriage proposal sent and received via Morse code.
  • R. D. Parker
    • Faculty who experimented with wireless telegraphy, Physics Bldg.
  • George Patterson
    • Faculty who taught the first course in telegraphy.
  • Vic Poor
    • Developer of WinLink. Inventor of the 8008 and Founder of CDC Computers Corp.  LAN & WinLink developer (Jonathan Schmidt & Irv Hoff)
  • Larry Phipps
    • Owner, Telepost, Inc. (LP- xxx SWR/Watt Meters)
  • Roy Purchase
    • Owner, Purchase Camera & Radio
  • Jonathan Schmidt
    • Inventor of the 8008 and Founder of CDC Computers Corp.  LAN & WinLink developer (Vic Poor & Irv Hoff)
  • Claude Shannon
    • “Father of Information”
  • Henry Tappan
    • First to witness S.F.B. Morse’s invention of the “wireless” telegraph.  First President of the University of Michigan
  • Augustus Trowbridge
    • Faculty who experimented with wireless telegraphy
  • Alexander Winchell
    • Faculty who provided the first classroom lectures on Morse’s Telegraph (1868)