The Short Wave Radio Club was organized in September 1935, according to the 1936 Bugle (page 319). The Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives published a story about Carmen Venegas, VPI’s first international woman graduate. She was a member of this fledgling club.
Short Wave Club
Officers: President, W.D. Henderson (W8MOW; Vice President, V.R. Dawson (W3EBD); Secretary, F.B. Bryant (W3BYQ); Treasurer, C.H. Winter, Jr (W3ECS); Reporter, H.B.O. Davis (W3GGB).
The most unique club on the V.P.I. campus is the V.P.I. Short Wave Club, which was officially organized in September of this year. The club is composed of students that have a desire to become acquainted with radio equipment and the amateur radio field.
After much preliminary work of organizing the club, and the adoption of a Constitution and By-Laws the club began to negotiate for a suitable place for a club room in which an amateur radio station could be installed. Thorough the untiring efforts of the club’s president and the cooperation of Dean E.B. Norris, the “tower room” of McBryde building was made available, and in it the club installed a temporary transmitter with 85 watts input. With the helpful cooperation of Professor Claudius Lee a transmitter capable of 400 watts input was later installed. This transmitter is the property of the club.
Classes are conducted at the regular weekly meetings. These classes, consisting of instruction in code, transmitting, receiving, and federal radio laws, are given to help the members of the club that are not licensed operators prepare to take the examination for their license.
This is not the largest nor the oldest club on campus but due to the cooperation of the members, the future of the Short Wave Club is assured.
Members: J.V. Barker, P.B. DeFuria, G.A. Gillenwater, R.N. Hale, E.O. Headrick (W3FLT), C.P. Holz, R.B. Hummel, H.L. Knight, N.C. Knight, N.C. Lancaster, N.C. Lunsford, J.F. Stevens, Miss C. Venegas.
Bugle, 1936
WUVT History
Out of this Short Wave Club, the university radio station was born. The WUVT station began in the 1940’s and operated in the War Memorial Gym. The history of the station is told by stories presented in this website. The first woman to DJ was Patricia Amesurie.
Does anyone remember the story of the very first radar unit in Blacksburg? It was the pride and joy of the police and caused many a Hokie a great deal of grief! The engineers at WUVT ‘freed it’ from the department, dismantled it and had Tech students mail pieces of it from all over the country.
WUVT alumni, and former “wooviteers”
The Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives has digitized documents which provide a glimpse of the radio station and of the people who were part of its history.
Amateur Radio & QSL Postcards from Blacksburg
The only way to communicate with people all over the world was to know their contact information (call sign). The cards offer a glimpse of who was living in Blacksburg at various periods. The earliest card is from 1927. Some belonged to students of the university, others town residents. The New River Valley Amateur Radio Club (N4NRV) is thriving. We have collected images of QSL (HAM radio) postcards. Perhaps you have a card you wish to share?
Gathering Blacksburg History 