College students graduating now, probably never cranked a phone to get an operator to complete a call for them. Many may not have even heard of it. Many talk of dialing a telephone when they push buttons to make a telephone call, but don’t know why its called dialing. read more

One Wire

In the beginning, all telephone circuits used only one wire from the telephone to the telephone office. A second wire was tied to a ground rod (A metal rod, 3/8th inch in diameter and about five feet long) driven into the ground gave a return path to the telephone office. But this methodology had its drawbacks. Cross-talk (Hearing conversation on another line in the background and induction (Electrical noise) made telephone communication poor at its best.

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Don worked over fifty years in telecommunications. Working with many telephone employees in both Bell System and the independent telephone industry. He enjoyed, not only the work, but also the fellowship he encountered through his association with the personnel in both groups. He found them all to be like one big family, which believed in good service to the telephone subscribers.

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