Rhode Island Radio - Sister Mary Emiliana

W1HUH

As an Industrial Arts teacher, my work is entirely with boys. I teach woodwork and drafting in the Tyler Junior High School in Providence, Rhode Island. We have a pleasant shop which occupies the entire length of one-half of the building. Here the boys make the usual articles such as tables, cabinets, etc., and some not-so-usual articles,

All of this leads up to my introduction to amateur radio. Our foundress, Mother McAuley, wished the members of her communities to be alert to every new branch of learning and to keep up with the latest methods and developments. I happened, in my capacity as shop teacher, to meet one of the directors of the school who was an A-1 amateur. It was decided that it would be a good plan to give the hoys an opportunity to see what an amateur station was and introduce them to the many opportunities that were open to them in the field of electronics. As a result, some have already chosen that field for their life work and have become amateurs.

I started to learn the code and prepare myself to take my Class B examination, In October, 1933, I went to the Customhouse in Boston and took the examination. Some years later I took the examination for Class A. So far as we have been able to find out, I was the first Sister in the world to receive an amateur license.

I have worked on the 75-, 40-, 20-, 10-, 2-meter and on the old 5-meter bands. At present I am on 74 with a Viking II. The hurricane demolished my antenna, which was attached to the cupola about 100 feet high. My shack was also flooded.

I guess I am just an ordinary ham. During the war, I was a member of the Providence Police Radio Patrol. I like to QSO both phone and C.W. My extracurricular engagements tend to break up my time so that I have never felt justified in joining a net, which | certainly would do otherwise. I have written a brochure on radio for Youth Magazine, and have had some very interesting and enjoyable contacts and have made some very fine friends.

There is nothing inconsistent in a religious being an amateur radio operator. I think the future will see many more religious women in the field, and then we who have pioneered will be glad that we have blazed the trail for them.

Incidentally, amateur radio provides an excellent means of keeping in touch with other religious members who are toiling in the foreign mission field.

I think ham radio is one of the most enjoyable hobbies that anyone can have, be he OM or YL. But it is more than a hobby; as for the youth of today, it can be a steppingstone to a very fascinating occupation. In no organization is a better spirit fellowship manifested than in the amateur fraternity. I am very happy to belong to it. ¹

Sister Mary Emiliana was born in Poland in about 1906. ²