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Donald F. 'Don' Christensen Midland, MI QCWA # 12902 Chapter 10 |
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Donald F. Christensen, 93, of Midland, MI passed away on Thursday, September 12, 2019. Don was born in Bay County on October 3, 1925 to Floyd and Della Christensen. He grew up on his parents. farm and graduated with honors from Midland High School, class of 1943. That same year he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corp cadet training program and received his commission as an Aviation Navigator at Hondo Air Force Base, TX. Don served his country during World War II in the Eastern Flying Training Command.
While still in the service, he married Alice May Bailey of Midland when stationed at Carlsbad Air Force Base in Carlsbad, NM. Upon discharge, the couple moved to Ann Arbor, MI where Don received his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He completed 33 years of employment with Dow Corning Corporation. While at Dow Corning, Don worked on the development of new silicone products and was active in two international organizations, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and the American Society for Testing Materials. His career took him to many points across the United States, and as far away as Australia and Japan.
Don was blessed with four beloved children with his first wife (Alice): They include sons Donald, Jr. (Kelli) of Bridgewater, NJ and Tim (Walter Ochinko) of Washington, D.C., plus two deceased daughters, Martha Christensen (Edward Rom) and Diane (Richard) Baker. He will be remembered by his grandchildren: Ashley Baker of Midland, Amanda (Jonathan) Jarman of Ann Arbor, Jennifer Christensen of The Dalles, OR, Captain Emma (Matthew) Schiller (U.S. Army, Ft. Leavenworth, KS); and siblings Ethan & Alden Christensen of Bridgewater, NJ. He is also survived by five great-grandchildren; Paige and Brady Lukowski of Midland, Marla and Naomi Jarman of Ann Arbor, and Hudson Schiller of Fort Leavenworth, KS. Finally, Don is survived by 3 step-grandchildren, Elysha (Ben) Rom-Povolo Davila, James (Nancy) Baker, Jennifer (Jeff) Berryhill, plus 5 step-great-grandchildren; Emily (Andrew) Vavere and Andrew Baker, Wilson and Jace Berryhill, and Milo Davila. Don.s first wife Alice passed away in 2003 after a long illness. Don married his second wife, Patricia Ann Roberts, and was able to spend 15 happy years with her before she passed away in November 2017.
Don had only one hobby during his life, Amateur (Shortwave) Radio. He was granted his first FCC license in 1941 with the call sign W8WOJ, and later received an honorary call designation of NU8U. Over the years he made 2-way radio contact with every country and almost every island in the world. His contacts included such notables as actor Arthur Godfrey, country singer Ronnie Milsap, King Hussein of Jordan, guitarist Chet Atkins and U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater. During times of global weather crisis, Don often helped local families establish contact with loved ones around the world when other modes of communication were silenced.
Visitors will be welcomed at Ware Smith Woolever Funeral Home, 1200 W. Wheeler Street from 4-7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 17th. Additional visitation is scheduled at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday Sept. 18th followed immediately by the funeral at 11:00 a.m., both at First United Methodist Church on Main Street in Midland. Interment will be in Midland Cemetery at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to The Midland American Legion Berryhill Post #165 or The Midland Radio Club (989-486-3771).
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W8WOJ for 77 years
USAAF 1943-1945; 2nd. Lt. Navigator Army Air Corp BSEE Univ. of Mich 1951; Retired 1983 after 33 years Dow Corning Corp; remarried to Patricia Ann in Midland, MI on December 12, 2003; children are: Don Jr., Diane Baker, and Tim; also step children: Jon Miller and Stephanie Parsch. Licensed as W8WOJ in 1941; ARRL-QCWA-DXCC No.1 Honor Roll-WAZ-6BWAS-5WAC-FISTS-INDEXA-OOTC-QCWA #12902-Vol .Examiner-Breakfast Club#1633-BBC#149. My XYL's callsign is KD8HIF. Long time member of The Wolverine SSB Net of Michigan on 3935 KHz.;T he Buzzards Roost Net on 3929/3930; the Great Lakes Emergency and Traffic Net on 3932; QCWA Chapter 10 Net on 3903; The Michigan UP Net on 3921 ;There is also a group of misfits on 1860 in the morning.I've been checking into the BBC befroe breakfast club. and the Breakfast Club on 3973 for many years>
I've done some writing like a DX column in the local MRC for about 25 yeats and have had naterial published in World Radio Magazine. QST and CQ magazine>
I am not a musician but I have been close to music since my folks first bought me a snare drum and a trumpet. I played the snare and bass drums all through my Air Force career. Each post had its band to perform at retreat and at full blown parades. I enjoyed the band and was a pretty fair drummer. The World War II period was the golden age of popular swing and dance music.The music of the big bands was fabulus. Todays NOISE is not music its noise The music of the 1930's 40's and 50's have an eternalness, no squocks and squeeks. There will never,NEVER ever be bands like Glen Miller, Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey. Count Bassie, Claude Thornhill, Duke Ellington and many others And I haven't mentioned the great girl and boy singers who fronted the bands like Frank Sinatra, Dick Haymes, Helen Forrest and Helen O'Connel.
Upon the passing of my xyl Patricia KD8HIF, I now live in an assisted living facility. They allow me an outside antenna but space is limited. So the current station consists of a TenTec Orion II driving an Ameritron ALS-600 solid state amp with an LDG AT-1000 Pro II automatic tuner. Antennas include a multiband dipole for 80/40 meters nd a TGM MQ26SR mini beam for 20-6 meters. My mixed entity total is 362 and hit top of the DXCC Honor Role many years ago. My age is 92 and W8WOJ has been on the air since 1941. QSL direct or bureau. No e QSLs or LOTA.
I was an only child raised on a farm in central Michigan and became interested in radio back in 1937 or 38. As a young teenager, I was also interested in flying and airplanes and this is how I was introduced to radio Back in those days there were two magazines that I read religiously. One was called Daredevil Aces and my favorite was G-8 and His Battle Aces. Both featured the adventures and stories of World War I flyers with their Spads, Newports and Fokker pursuit planes. But the important thing were the ads on the back cover where they showed many small regenerative tube radios. The advertising said that with these little radios, you could hear shortwave radio stations from all over the world. Wow, one ad said you could even hear Big Ben chiming the hours from London, England.
I wanted one of these radios the worst way and somehow came up with the $3.00 needed to buy a 2 tube Philmore set with plug-in coils that tuned from the broadcast band to about 18 meters or so. It didn't take long for me to find the 80 and 40 meter ham bands. But who were these guys talking back and forth about their radio sets, their antennas , the weather and all. Yes, I'd discovered the world of amateur radio!!
I logged dozens of ham operators on my little Philmore but I soon began to hear about some realy nice dream radio recievers like the Hallicrafters S-19R Sky Buddy and the Howard 430. The big step happened when I was able to afford a Sky Buddy and the rest is history.
I listensed and studied until I felt I could pass the FCC examination. I took the 120 mile bus trip from my QTH to Detroit, Mi and there at the Federal Building under the watchful eye of the head RI. Dick Cottom, I took and passed the Class B exam and 13 wpm code test and in September of 1941, I became W8WOJ and many years later, a 20 WPM Extra. Seventy five years later the thrill is still there when I make a RADIO contact. That thrill will always be there in spite of cell phones, iPods, the Internet, satellites or you name it. My thanks to Nikola Tesla for getting the ball rolling..W8WOJ
