This convention was held in conjunction with the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair and featured a technical program presented by a host of “pioneers” in the world of radio. The program speakers included:

  • Rufus C. Dawes
    President of the 1933 World’s Fair
  • Paul H. Davis
    W9GES, W9BT & W9LK – Radio operator on MacMillian 1931 expedition to Iceland
  • Hiram Percy Maxim
    W1AW – Founder of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL)
  • Harold D. Hayes
    Acting inspector in charge Federal Radio Commission Chicago district
  • Boyd Phelps
    W9BP – Owner Phelps Precision Laboratory; later became famous ham for work on 160 meters.
  • Don C. Wallace
    W6AM – Prominent Amateur & Professional Radio in California
  • John L. Reinartz
    W1QP – Radio Operator on MacMillan expedition to northern Greenland 1925; Proposed first ionospheric “skip” theory in 1925 using experiments with young Arthur Collins in 1925.
  • Robert S. Kruse
    W1YDO & W1FG – Consulting engineer, text book author, pioneer work on ionospheric propagation
  • Clinton DeSoto
    W1CBD – Employee of ARRL; later authored book “200 Meters and Down”
  • Lt. A. A. Hebert
    W1ES – Treasurer of ARRL; earlier ARRL’s first Manager and Vice-President
  • Lt. Cmdr. Fred H. Schnell
    W9UZ – Early Traffic Manager at ARRL; organized first transcontinental amateur relay
  • H. F. Wareing
    W9NY – College instructor & radio communications consultant
  • Prof. J. Barton Hoag
    Physics instructor and researcher of ionospheric propagation
  • Arthur A. Collins
    W9CXX – Owner, Collins Radio Company (formed in 1930)
  • B. C. Burden
    Telephone & telegraph engineer and author
  • Kendall Clough
    ex 9AAM – Chief engineer The Clough-Brengle Co.
  • McMurdo Silver
    Organized Silver-Marshall, Inc. in 1924 and McMurdo Silver, Inc. in 1932
  • W. J. Leidy
    President of the Chicago Transformer Corp.
  • James Millen
    Vice-President of the National Company of Malden, Mass.; later formed the James Millen Co.
  • F. Dawson Bliley
    W8GU – Bliley Piezo-Electric company
  • A. J. McMaster
    President & Technical Director G-M Laboratories, Inc.
  • R. H. Freeman
    Chief engineer Communications Dept. United Airlines
  • Loy E. Barton
    developed Class B low cost modulation
  • Capt. G. Everett Hill, Jr.
    U. S. Army Signal Corps Officer
  • Ralph R. Batcher
    ex 9IT & 9IH Research Engineer Decatur Manufacturing Co.

Interestingly, the registration fee for the entire convention was $4.50 and a single room at the hotel could be had for as little as $3.00 per night. However the charge for valet parking your car was 50¢ for 24 hours.

Anyone interested in the history of radio communications technology will enjoy reading the biographical sketches of the program speakers which also include a photograph. Arthur Collins would have been 23 years old and the youngest member of the program speakers. Five weeks after the convention, the Collins Radio Company was incorporated on September 9, 1933 – coincidentally Arthur’s 24th birthday.

The Convention was held at the Medinah Michigan Avenue Club, Chicago, Illinois, on August 3-4-5, 1933.

A PDF of the 44-page convention program booklet can be found HERE.