Now that my very dear friend Phil Glano [ WØEAJ ] has been a silent key for a while, I guess it's okay to tell a very funny story about why Call Letter License Plates can be good or bad.

Back in August of 1962, I'd just gotten my shiny new Novice ticket... WNØEAJ... at Treasure Island, CA, while going to Electronics Technician "A" school in the US Navy... go to this link, and look at "The 60's" - 2nd. row - far right (the cards are mine, too) http://www.qsl.net/k6ncg/index.html. As was the custom in those days, I immediately ran to the latest Callbook Magazine (now www.qrz.com or on a CD), and looked up WØEAJ to see if I was going to get it when I passed my GENERAL. Drat!, I said... some guy in Kansas City (my home town) already had it... he was listed as a Phillip Glano, and I of course, didn't know him from the Man in the Moon. My grousing was relatively short-lived when I finally got WAØEAJ in the mail (April '63 - no on-line finding out, back then!), and I've had the call, ever since.

Move up to December of 1971 - I've just been hired on with the Pro-Industrial Division of Burstein-Applebee Co. (Remember B-A?), and as I'm being led back to where our offices were, from the front lobby of 3199 Mercier St., I pass the second door on my right - the name says "Phil Glano"..... nah!.... "can't be, can it?"... I stuck my head in the door, and said "excuse me, sir... are you an amateur radio operator?"... he replied, curiously... "yes". I said "Is your callsign perhaps WØEAJ?"... he said "well, yes... why?"... "Well, I'm WAØEAJ, and I just got hired here!". We shook hands and marveled at the serendipity of it. Phil turned out to be a mid-50's short, and somewhat heavy Italian fellow... not at all what I'd imagined, but a terrific guy, and funny too.

I'd been working for B-A for about a year-and-a-half, when my boss John Fife (WØOSD SK) told me to go over to Phil's office, and make it quick, as Phil didn't sound happy!

When I arrived and knocked at his door, he said "Close the door, and SIT DOWN!" I did as told, and Phil proceeded to ask me if I knew a girl named Carolyn Hull (last name changed here)... I said that yes, I did... why? He then told me quite a tale - seems like Carol, whom I'd been dating - was MARRIED (of course, she hadn't bothered to tell me that small detail) and had left her husband and family a few months before... her parents had been going crazy trying to find her, until one day, when some guy in a RED sports car picked her up in Osowatimie [sic], and they'd written down the license number (are you getting a clue, here?). Well, seems like her parents had periodically watched old Phil's house over the year, and finally reaching their point of panic, had confronted Phil (in his "Omar, the Tentmaker" shorts and a t-shirt) on his front lawn, IN FRONT OF HIS WIFE, and pleading through tears, said "Sir... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH OUR DAUGHTER?" Needless to say, his wife was not amused, and neither was Phil... After he said he had no idea what they were talking about, they asked "Don't you have a RED sports car?"... he said "NO"... then having a mind-flash, he added... "But, I know somebody who DOES!"

At that time, I was still driving a '65 RED Austin-Healey 3000 MK-III sports car, and sure enough... I DID have call-letter plates on it, proudly displaying WAØEAJ under that nice chrome bumper. It seems that somebody had seen the car when I picked her up in Osowatimie [yeah, never could spell that town], and written down the "curious" plate numbers..... BUT... they forgot the FIRST "A", so when they looked up the call through somebody who knew what it was, they came up with little Phil's name and address! THAT'S why they'd been watching the WRONG GUY! As I trembled in his office, Phil asked if I knew where she was, and I said that yeah; I'd fixed her up with a former co-worker of mine at King Radio, and would tell her to advise her parents AND HUSBAND, that she was okay, and to PLEASE fix it with Phil and his WIFE who really didn't understand why her faithful short-Italian-heavy husband would be hanging out with a young girl of 22!

I found her and her guy Lonnie, and ultimately the whole thing calmed down, but there was a final bit of fallout.... Phil NEVER AGAIN PUT CALL LETTER PLATES ON HIS CAR! We chuckled about it, but he really NEVER did it, just like he said. Phil became a Silent Key about 2 years or so, ago. He was a good friend and fine man... and... what's the chances of WØEAJ and WAØEAJ working within 15 feet of each other, when they'd never met before?

So be careful what you do (or don't), when you have call letter plates on your car... you never know who might be watching... Sleep well, Phil - I sold the car... it's okay.

73 es HI HI

Tom Dailey - WAØEAJ

Epilogue:

We move up to 2004, and with the benefits of the "Vanity Callsign" program, many of my friends have obtained those lovely 1x2, 1x3, and 2x2 callsigns. I always figured that my good ol' WAØEAJ was plenty good, I was the only guy who'd ever had it... most likely the only person who would EVER have it (nobody wants WA calls anymore), and having had it for 41 years... well, I was used to it.

After writing this story, I began to think about the call, and knowing that Phil had been a Silent Key for over two years, I looked at the FCC's ULS database, and sure 'nuff, it wasn't valid anymore. Working through the W5YI bunch (great folks, and the ONLY way to get a vanity call), I applied for Phil's old call... that began quite an adventure, as the name in the FCC showed him as Phillip, but his death certificate showed just "Phil". The confusion was sorted through, with all parties happy - with the new license dated 08-26-05, there it was... WØEAJ - Thomas C. Dailey.... I had MY call.

Good stories seldom end so simply; as I stared at that piece of paper, and thought of the many times I'd spoken with Phil, of the antenna he'd given me, back in 1972, and of the recommendation for promotion he'd provided in 1977, it hit me... August 26th... the date of issue of the ticket - not only is that the date I entered the US Navy, back in 1961, but it was ALSO, the date of issue of my original Novice ticket in 1962. Perhaps it was always meant to be, the process just took a bit longer; for like friendships, ham radio is just one big circle.

March 15, 2008