Robey was a really nice fellow and well-liked by those who knew him. We went through grade school, Sunday school, and high school together. He served in the US Army over in Viet Nam and, after returning home to his wife and 2 kids, he was diagnosed with leukemia. There was some talk at the time that exposure to agent orange while in Viet Nam may have been the cause. Robey was a devout Christian Scientist and refused medical treatments which might have saved his life. It was a sad situation. He was very sweet, shy, quiet, and smiled a lot.
Yes, I liked Robey too! He was salt of the earth good guy, a steadfast friend and classmate at Golf School and at Niles West. Seeing his picture brings back tender childhood memories.
At Golf junior high, Robey Swartz and I became close friends. For some reason, we just clicked. We enjoyed many of the same things and rarely disagreed. I guess our young personalites were compatible. Little did I realize how knowing him would shape the direction of my life in significant ways.
We liked doing what boys in the 50s did: riding bikes, flying model airplanes, hanging out together after school, playing games, mostly at his house. He had lots of cool stuff like an old electric pin-ball machine that didn't require nickels to play. Harry, his dad, owned an auto/truck leaf spring factory in Chicago about 1/2 mile from Wrigley Field so I guess they could afford some fun toys.
Robey and I were active in Boy Scouts as were both our dads. There were generally about six dads who regularly helped out and they all got along well. We went camping as a troop at least once a month, even in winter. Sometimes cabins, but mostly tent camping in state parks. Robey and I usually shared a tent.
As high school freshman, we started to get the radio bug, mostly inspired by his dad, who had been in Amateur Radio since the 1930s.
Somewhere along the line we got the notion of setting up 'wired-wireless' stations so we could talk to each other using low frequencies over the power lines. Harry convinced us it wouldn't work because we lived too far apart, and instead suggested we put in the work and just get our Amateur Radio licenses. He loaned me some ARRL books to learn enough radio theory for the Novice test. He also answered my endless questions, often patiently indicating where the answers could be found in the materials I already had. RTFM, Dave!
Robey and I practiced Morse Code together and sometimes copied Amateur Radio traffic on the 40 and 20 meter bands using the shortwave receiver in Harry's setup.
The time came when I felt ready to take the Amateur Radio Novice test. The exam had two components: a five word-per-minute Morse Code receiving and sending test and a written portion covering basic radio theory and FCC rules and regulations for Amateur Radio. Harry could administer the test because he held an Extra Class license grade. I sent off my request form to the FCC and a few weeks later the test materials envelope arrived. I made plans with Harry to take the test the following Saturday. I passed!
A few weeks later a station license for KN9ZCW arrived. This was the fall of 1960.
Not long after, Robey sent off for the test and he also passed, becoming KN9ZPA.
Robey and I both operated on the 40 meter band, honing our Morse Code skills and studying theory and operating rules until we were eligible to take the General Class test in front of a live FCC examiner. The nearest location was the old Federal Building in downtown Chicago. We rode the Skokie Swift CTA train to the Loop and found the Federal Building. It was completed in 1905 but looked even more ancient with it's dome and rotunda. The offices had heavy wooden doors with glass transoms above. I wish it was still there, because it was impressive early 20th century architecture.
Needless to say, the FCC examiner's office was not the relaxed environment of the Swartz family living room, but we both managed enough solid copy to pass to Morse Code test and continue with the written portion. Some weeks later our new station licenses came in the mail but without the 'N' in our call signs. We weren't 'Novices' anymore, now we were generals with broader privileges.
As often happens in high school, our interests began to branch out, and we found ourselves exploring different paths with other social groups and we eventually drifted apart. I blame it on cars and dating.
Two years after graduation, the Army drafted us and we both managed to be assigned as radio operators. Robey went to Vietnam and ran a MARS station that facilitated telephone calls between servicemen and their families back home. My tour was with the 3rd Armored Division in Frankfurt, Germany, the same division where Elvis served almost a decade earlier. I was discharged in January, 1968 and Robey back that same summer.
We ran into each other a few times after that but never renewed our friendship at the level it had been. Too much time had past and life had changed us both. He married not long after and started a family.
But our shared interest in Amateur Radio left an indelible mark that shaped my career in electronics, computer science and Geographic Information Systems.
A few years later, news reached me that Robey had died of leukemia. It was heartbreaking to hear, especially knowing his family's Christian Scientist faith probably meant his disease went untreated by conventional medicine. Who could say if it would have made any difference in the outcome.
The last time I saw Harry was at Robey's funeral. Harry passed away on March 15, 2003.
Though our paths diverged and his life was cut tragically short, the memories of those years with Robey, the fun we had together, remain a cherished part of my life. He will always be remembered.
I also got an FCC license, successfully taking the exam the day after Thanksgiving in 1964 to get a Third Class license so I could legally take transmitter readings at radio stations where I worked during college.
Beverlee Ann Arpan (Marshall)
Robey was a really nice fellow and well-liked by those who knew him. We went through grade school, Sunday school, and high school together. He served in the US Army over in Viet Nam and, after returning home to his wife and 2 kids, he was diagnosed with leukemia. There was some talk at the time that exposure to agent orange while in Viet Nam may have been the cause. Robey was a devout Christian Scientist and refused medical treatments which might have saved his life. It was a sad situation. He was very sweet, shy, quiet, and smiled a lot.
Janis Kliphardt (Emery)
Yes, I liked Robey too! He was salt of the earth good guy, a steadfast friend and classmate at Golf School and at Niles West. Seeing his picture brings back tender childhood memories.
David Alexander Merrill
At Golf junior high, Robey Swartz and I became close friends. For some reason, we just clicked. We enjoyed many of the same things and rarely disagreed. I guess our young personalites were compatible. Little did I realize how knowing him would shape the direction of my life in significant ways.We liked doing what boys in the 50s did: riding bikes, flying model airplanes, hanging out together after school, playing games, mostly at his house. He had lots of cool stuff like an old electric pin-ball machine that didn't require nickels to play. Harry, his dad, owned an auto/truck leaf spring factory in Chicago about 1/2 mile from Wrigley Field so I guess they could afford some fun toys.
Robey and I were active in Boy Scouts as were both our dads. There were generally about six dads who regularly helped out and they all got along well. We went camping as a troop at least once a month, even in winter. Sometimes cabins, but mostly tent camping in state parks. Robey and I usually shared a tent.
As high school freshman, we started to get the radio bug, mostly inspired by his dad, who had been in Amateur Radio since the 1930s.
Somewhere along the line we got the notion of setting up 'wired-wireless' stations so we could talk to each other using low frequencies over the power lines. Harry convinced us it wouldn't work because we lived too far apart, and instead suggested we put in the work and just get our Amateur Radio licenses. He loaned me some ARRL books to learn enough radio theory for the Novice test. He also answered my endless questions, often patiently indicating where the answers could be found in the materials I already had. RTFM, Dave!
Robey and I practiced Morse Code together and sometimes copied Amateur Radio traffic on the 40 and 20 meter bands using the shortwave receiver in Harry's setup.
The time came when I felt ready to take the Amateur Radio Novice test. The exam had two components: a five word-per-minute Morse Code receiving and sending test and a written portion covering basic radio theory and FCC rules and regulations for Amateur Radio. Harry could administer the test because he held an Extra Class license grade. I sent off my request form to the FCC and a few weeks later the test materials envelope arrived. I made plans with Harry to take the test the following Saturday. I passed!
A few weeks later a station license for KN9ZCW arrived. This was the fall of 1960.
Not long after, Robey sent off for the test and he also passed, becoming KN9ZPA.
Robey and I both operated on the 40 meter band, honing our Morse Code skills and studying theory and operating rules until we were eligible to take the General Class test in front of a live FCC examiner. The nearest location was the old Federal Building in downtown Chicago. We rode the Skokie Swift CTA train to the Loop and found the Federal Building. It was completed in 1905 but looked even more ancient with it's dome and rotunda. The offices had heavy wooden doors with glass transoms above. I wish it was still there, because it was impressive early 20th century architecture.
Needless to say, the FCC examiner's office was not the relaxed environment of the Swartz family living room, but we both managed enough solid copy to pass to Morse Code test and continue with the written portion. Some weeks later our new station licenses came in the mail but without the 'N' in our call signs. We weren't 'Novices' anymore, now we were generals with broader privileges.
As often happens in high school, our interests began to branch out, and we found ourselves exploring different paths with other social groups and we eventually drifted apart. I blame it on cars and dating.
Two years after graduation, the Army drafted us and we both managed to be assigned as radio operators. Robey went to Vietnam and ran a MARS station that facilitated telephone calls between servicemen and their families back home. My tour was with the 3rd Armored Division in Frankfurt, Germany, the same division where Elvis served almost a decade earlier. I was discharged in January, 1968 and Robey back that same summer.
We ran into each other a few times after that but never renewed our friendship at the level it had been. Too much time had past and life had changed us both. He married not long after and started a family.
But our shared interest in Amateur Radio left an indelible mark that shaped my career in electronics, computer science and Geographic Information Systems.
A few years later, news reached me that Robey had died of leukemia. It was heartbreaking to hear, especially knowing his family's Christian Scientist faith probably meant his disease went untreated by conventional medicine. Who could say if it would have made any difference in the outcome.
The last time I saw Harry was at Robey's funeral. Harry passed away on March 15, 2003.
Though our paths diverged and his life was cut tragically short, the memories of those years with Robey, the fun we had together, remain a cherished part of my life. He will always be remembered.
Donn Pearlman
David,
Thank you for sharing those wonderful memories.
I also got an FCC license, successfully taking the exam the day after Thanksgiving in 1964 to get a Third Class license so I could legally take transmitter readings at radio stations where I worked during college.