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Q&A With Robert Curry

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Robert Curry
Transmitter Supervisor, Howard University 1980-2009
Location: Adelphi, MD United States
Birthday: Jan 15th
Joined: Jun 28th, 2013

About (request update)

I was born to a poor family in Indianapolis, Indiana right after WW2, started first grade there, then relocated to the "Northern Neck" of Virginia, just a few years before segregation was ruled illegal. (Quite different from Indiana! ) In spite of this, I became interested in science, radio, and electronics, and read books, as well as gathered parts to conduct experiments, and proceeded to learn and teach myself about electronics. By age 13, I was earning spending money by repairing radio and TV sets! My father worked as a mechanic and welder, so I also picked up those skills from him. Our rural location, and limited money restricted my ability to progress, but in 1961 we moved to Washington, D.C. and I was able to pursue my interest with greater ease, as opportunities to earn money fixing home electronics were much more abundant, as was the supply of parts and tools/test equipment! After high school, I worked a few years as an IBM field service engineer before volunteering in 1968 to serve the US Army, where I became the highest scoring "Honor Graduate" of the Fort Monmouth, New Jersey signal school. After signal school I served in IRAN, as chief engineer of AFRTS, Teheran until 1970, when I returned to the US, assigned to Fort Ord, California. At Fort Ord, I continued in electronics, working with "CDCEC" and the base MARS shortwave station. In 1971 I completed my enlistment and was discharged, but later that year I joined the D.C. Army reserve national guard, serving a communications supervisor until my discharge in 1976 as a Staff Sargent E-6.-----I then continued my electronics interest, working for the F.C.C., Sony, GBC closed circuit TV, WJLA TV, and others, until my unplanned early retirement (due to university staff reduction) from WHUT-TV in 2009.

Current Whereabouts:

Electronics repair/consulting, experimenting with ham radio and renewable energy-solar/wind, electric vehicles, communications, emergency power.

Life & Professional Aspirations:

I hope to eventually develop a retirement home in a rural location, where I can utilize natural energy for the majority of my utility needs, and be free to experiment with electronics and ham radio. (I own mountaintop acreage in Pennsylvania, but at present, I am short of funding to develop it.)

Education (request update)

High School: Theodore Roosevelt High in Washington, DC class of 1965

Activities & Accomplishments:

Track team-won school "letter" for athletic performance, Won school science fair in 1965, with my home-made TV camera and broadcast transmitter, participated as a member of the "Stage Crew"-some stud

Best Memories:

The friends on the stage crew and track team, writing answers to Mrs. Bush's science quiz on the board while she was outside watching the students arrive for class, and the more reasonable laws and prices of the time-full service gasoline for about 30 cents a gallon, decent houses for under $30,000, a smaller drug crime problem, no "Carjackings" and no "Gun Control"! I also operated a two-way-radio for CORE, and was situated within the Lincoln Memorial, during the 1963 Martin L. King "March on Washington" where he presented his famous "I have a dream" speech! (Years later, I discovered we were both born on 15 January!)

Experience

I currently work with Howard University 1980-2009 as Transmitter Supervisor
I have 45 years of experience working in the Telecommunications industry.

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