Foxy Grampa
Home has not been quite the same for the Arthur Roy Allisons of St. Louis since their daughter Elizabeth got married three years ago and went to live in Puerto Rico. Early last year, Mr. Allison hit on a great idea for keeping in touch with Elizabeth and her husband. He became a radio ham, W9FFB, with a radiophone transmitter in the basement. In San Juan, P. R., not far from Elizabeth, lived an active radio ham, Mrs. Jennie Ramirez, K4FOW. She and Neighbor Elizabeth hit it off fine, and for most of last year they had gay radio gabfests almost every day with Allison, 2,500 miles away. Jennie introduced Arthur Allison around the ten-metre band. In no time, Allie was a member in good standing of the farthest-flung fraternity in the world.
Last Nov. 24, Jennie Ramirez had exciting news for Allie. He was a grandfather. Soon Allie was QSOing ham acquaintances everywhere--Claude Hannibal, on a freighter in the Pacific; the Gunther boys in Buenos Aires; cronies from Chile to Midway Island. A boy, it was, almost nine pounds, named Roy Bernard Rubeli after his dad and granddad. The other hams nicknamed W9FFB, Foxy Grampa.
Early one morning last December, W9FFB, got another urgent call from Puerto Rico. Little Roy Bernard was desperately ill. Allison filled the air with orders. Next day Mr. & Mrs. Rubeli and son landed swiftly at Lambert-St. Louis Airport, and Grandfather Allison rushed them to the hospital.
For a month, for two months, it was tough going. The child got pneumonia, had three bladder operations, was kept alive with sulfanilamide derivatives, 19 blood transfusions. The father, forced to return to Puerto Rico, hovered over Jennie Ramirez' receiver. Foxy Grampa wirelessed what encouragement he could, while the vast ham party line listened in sympathetically. One great day last month, W9FFB, came on with wonderful news.
From Puerto Rico to Chile, from Ecuador to Hawaii, to the Gunther boys in Buenos Aires, to Claude Hannibal out at sea the word went: "Foxy Grampa says Roy Bernard's gonna be O.K. . . . Fine . . . fine . . O.K. . ."
This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.