Many of you know you can reach out to me about family items you discover, places you would like to know more about, and other topics. This past week an e-mail, with a letter from over 100 years ago attached, brought back a flood of memories which I thought I’d share.

Perhaps some of you who were born in the 1950’s will remember Lafayette Electronics. They were the “go to” source if you were interested in building anything electronical. We didn’t have Android or iPhones, we read magazines, dog eared the pages, sometimes folding a corner down to ear mark and return to. Video games hadn’t shown up yet, we learned to build things.

So many of us take for granted today what we have and the luxury of communication. No more dial up rotary phones, long distance call rates, party lines, person to person calls, and more. Seventy-five years ago, the television was beginning to become a focal point in our homes. AM radio was still the mainstay of staying on top of the news and local events but was beginning its decline. There was no instant replay or recording devices.

The big stand-up tube radios were being replaced with smaller transistor models which could be set on table or kitchen counters. These also provided a much higher quality sound.

As a child I was always eager to learn new things. When I thumbed through my first Lafayette Electronics Catalogue I still remember the excitement generated realizing I could buy a kit and build my own crystal radio set! Needless to say, I saved up money from chores like lawnmowing and got one.

Dad taught me how to solder the connections and help me assemble the components. There were anxiety and anticipation surrounding the project until I could put the ear plug in and dial up a station. A whole new world opened up! Daytime I could easily tune in to the local stations after putting the clamp on a copper pipe and slowly turn the dial until a station was found.

It didn’t take long to learn late at night, particularly after midnight, with local stations off the air, far away stations could sometimes be heard! One of the first I discovered was AM 1170 WWVA, Wheeling West Virginia. My first exposure to blue grass and pure country music! Remember this was the late 1950’s. Sometimes if the skies were clear and everything just right, I could even listen to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night! Another was AM 1190 WOWO Fort Wayne, Indiana. Some nights there was nothing and other nights were pure bliss with me pushing in the ear piece harder and harder to just hear a whisper of the broadcast.

And there were others I listened to from exotic places distant from Newburgh which I could tune in late at night and explore our rapidly shrinking world. I learned about the differences in communities, their values, and music preferences, expanding my understanding of people.

Today, I have SIRIUS radio in my car which provides a perfectly sparkling crystal-clear broadcast from a satellite! No more fading in and out as you travel with so many channels I’ve lost count.

What sparked all this sentimentality was a letter, thanks Esther, a friend discovered in her treasure trove of family mementoes. It’s dated March 6th, 1923, and is from her uncle to her aunt during the early years of their courtship.

They didn’t have cell phones, Facebook, or Instagram to communicate with back then, only “snail mail”. What makes this communication especially interesting is that William Kast is offering a crystal radio to Irene Thrig, who he would eventually marry.

Only 100 years ago the radio was coming into vogue and radio broadcasts were beginning to be heard throughout our community, becoming the new standard of communication. And, at the same time, the telephone was beckoning to become a household necessity.

People began to realize they could communicate with others and learn what was happening around the world at a before unknown speed, which when compared to what we have now would be laughed at! I wonder if they ever thought people would carry with them a small device which could instantly take photos, call around the world, and cover breaking news as it was happening besides hosting a variety of apps and games. In another century I cannot imagine how far we will have advanced...