Harry Helms <mailto:ak6c@earthlink.net>In a lot of ways, Ernie was the heart and soul of the National Radio Club for many years. His "Musings" column was how the various members got to know each other before there was an internet, and he often had the task of cranking out several pages of Musings on a weekly basis using his manual

typewriter---and he did so, year after year. He still found time to DX, and even managed to hear WERA (long-time members will recall that as Ernie's closest unheard, and he chased it for years before finally succeeding). For most of his life, Ernie DXed from Brooklyn, and in the fall of 1974 he took early retirement from the Federal Reserve to move to Provincetown, where---with the reduced QRM and sea paths---he DXed with the enthusiasm of a kid. He also got interested in FM DX and hosted a program of march music, "Forward, March!", on the local FM station. Above all, he was a terrific person. Did he have a single enemy in the DX hobby?

Guys like Ernie made the DXing hobby fun for a lot of people over the years. We'll never see his like again. RIP, old friend.

Russ Edmunds <mailto:wb2bjh@nrcdxas.org>In a way, there's not much more to add to Harry's comments, but in another way, there indeed is. Ernie's stamp on the NRC goes back into the 1930's. In terms of continuous service to the club, his record will surely never be equaled. I remember first meeting him at one of his Brooklyn Thanksgiving Get-Togethers. I cannot recall if I went by myself or with someone else, nor what year it was, although I'd guess 1964 or 1965. There was a good crowd, many of them regulars, others not. I met many new friends there, some of whom are still active and with whom I'm still in touch.

And he outlived WERA after he'd finally logged it! We've lost a great DX'er, a gentleman, and for those of us privileged to have known him, a lasting friend.

73's, Ernie !

John Callarman <JohnCallarman@msn.com>

When I first joined the NRC in April of 1956, I was impressed by the friendliness of the club, and the great sense of personal contact, as exemplified by Ernie Cooper's musings column.

Ernie always found a quip or a quote from one of the Musings to highlight on the front page of the bulletin, and I remember what a thrill it was when something I wrote made it.

Shortly after I joined the club, I volunteered for the draft, and as luck would have it, after basic training, I was assigned to the Army Information School at Fort Slocum, on an island just off New Rochelle, N.Y. I arrived in New York by bus the night before I was to report to Fort Slocum. I called Ernie Cooper and he, graciously, at short notice, not only invited me to visit, but he also put me up for the night. Ernie was the first NRC'er I had met in person, and he was a tremendous ambassador for the club.

Later during my stay at Fort Slocum, Ernie arranged for an opportunity for me to meet two other New York City DX'ers, Jim O'Brien of Brooklyn and Bernie Duffy of Staten Island. A long friendship with Bernie Duffy evolved... and Bernie visited with me in Fort Worth when he flew to the area to be fitted with a prosthetic device.

Ernie Cooper knew us all. We were all his friends. He believed Musings should be open to all contributions, no matter how controversial, and on several occasions battled for this belief... Board of Directors Chairman Hank Ward in 1958 thought some of the argumentative Musings should have been

cut... there was a problem during the period in the early '60s that led to the formation of the IRCA... and later, Ernie did not care for the decision that eliminated poetry from Musings, sticking up for the right of a troubled kid with a tin ear to continue to make his weekly contribution.

Ernie was, indeed, the spirit of the NRC, but he was also the sprite of the NRC. Until his health made it prohibitive, he was a regular convention attendee. Following conventions in the '50s and '60s, we could expect a clever convention poem from the late Carroll Seth of Buffalo (who died in that tragic wreck on the way to the Indianapolis convention in 1962) and then and beyond, Ernie would capture the laughter we shared with a page or two one one-liners that related to precious convention experiences. The wit often was pure corn, but every once in a while, Ernie would come up with the real gem. Ernie was so well loved, though, that he could get away with pure corn, and we loved it. I remember "Omaha-ha-ha-ha" from 1959 and "West-perings from Cedar Rapids" in 1965.

He had a T-shirt for every occasion, it seems, and that first pops into my mind is the one I submitted to Fred Vobbe for the picture file on the NRC web site. He balked at dressing formally for the club banquets, and at one of the Louisville conventions, he wore a T-short with the word "NECKTIE" printed horizontally down the middle of the shirt.

When I went to the Buffalo convention in 1964, the convention date coincided with the date a dear, young lady friend of mine was due to fly from LaGuardia to Tunisia for her stint as a Peace Corps English teacher. Since I was going to New York anyway, I saved Ernie and Bob Stenger air fare by taking them from Buffalo to Brooklyn following the convention. It was one of the most enjoyable conversations of my life, and, while I have had occasion to cart Bob Feller and, later, Jay Randolph from place to place, Ernie is my all-time favorite passenger! (Well, with certain personal exceptions!)

Ernie, during his tenure as Musings Editor, also made the FCC information a part of his Musings Column. It was Ernie who invented the antenna pattern symbols D1, D3, U1, U2, U3, U4, etc., because they were shorter than the FCC's system of DA-D, DA-N, NDA, etc., and those descriptions remain in use today, not only in DX News but also in the U.S. and Canadian listings in WRTH.

Ernie also invented the abbreviation "SS" for Spanish Speaker, and transmogrified it into EE for English, GG for German, PP for Portuguese, FF for French, etc., another system of abbreviations in wide use today. Ernie's "SSB" stood for "Star-Spangled Banner" long before "Single-Sideband" became an operative phrase. And then there was the trauma when GSTK became GSTQ!

One of Ernie's pet peeves was ham lingo, and it was only grudgingly that he succumbed to the use of "73." But he wasn't too proud to invent his own code, such as "CUN 7" for "See you in Seven Days," when the next Musings Column would be in our mail boxes.

Another pet peeve was the move of his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles. He was a devout baseball fan until then and I doubt that he ever brought himself to go to Shea Stadium to watch the imposters play.

I was only able to attend one of Ernie's Brooklyn get-togethers at 438 E. 21st Street, just a couple of blocks from the Courtelyou Avenue subway stop. That was 35 years ago, but the address and the subway stop remain fixed in my memory.

For a brief period of time, in the overall scheme of things, Ernie Cooper was part of the "Triumvirate" that served as the NRC government from 1961 to 1968, during simpler times before the club wisely incorporated and established the checks and balances that resulted in the smooth operation we've been blessed most of the time since. The publisher, the IDXD editor, and the Musings Editor were designated, at the NRC convention in Omaha in 1961, to BE the government. Publishers during that period were Pop Edge, then Dick Cooper (no relation to Ernie), then myself. IDXD editors were Pete Taylor, myself, and Gordon Nelson. Ernie Cooper, of course, was Musings Editor during the entire time frame. Of these "potentates," only Pete and I survive. The greatest of us now are gone.

If there were two words that could sum up Ernie Cooper's 60-plus years with NRC, they would be "sharing" and "caring." If the word "legendary" can be applied to any of us in this strange and unique hobby, it should first be applied to the Spirit and the Sprite of the NRC, Ernest R. Cooper.

Benjamin Dangerfield <ben-dangerfield@worldnet.att.net>

Ernie was a mainstay of the NRC when I joined the club in 1958. I met him several times, including conventions in 1960, 1965, 1970 and 1983, and at area meetings such as at John Sampson's in New Jersey in 1964. I was a regular contributor to his superb Musings columns down through the years, and I backed him up during the difficult times of the NRC/IRCA split in 1964. We often wrote to each other on DX matters and I valued his wisdom. I visited Ernie in 1980 in Provincetown and we had a wonderful time together discussing our common hobby, DX. He was truly a National Radio Club great, and we will miss him. And his huge collection of veries was uncontestable. When Ernie counted a station we knew it was for real.

Robert Foxworth <mailto:rfoxwor1@tampabay.rr.com>There is not much I can add to what others have said about Ernie Cooper. I first met him in 1958, I believe, at one of his GTG's. John Callarman is absolutely right about the E 21 St. address and the Cortelyou subway stop. I too can still see it in my mind, and recall the spring day, March or April, when I went there on a Sunday, from north New Jersey, using public transit (trains) when it was quite warm and upon my return late at night, soundly regretted my enthusiasm for the coming spring and my neglect of bringing a jacket.

I meant to reply to the Frank Doosey thread on WERA Plainfield NJ. This is of some interest to me as I helped put that station on the air. This was in, I believe, the summer of 1960 when I had just gotten a first 'phone and they were doing FS measurements on their 3 tower DA in south Plainfield (the towers were so short, they did not have to be lit). My job was to log the transmitter readings every 30 minutes and play a tape with a recorded ID on an Ampex 601. Bob Balfour, CE started about that time. The consultant was a crusty old (to me anyway) gentleman named Jim Croy who used to complain about people who couldn't read meters, especially RF ammeters with non-linear scales. (only happened once, though...)

This was the summer I had just gotten out of high school. I didn't even have a car yet and my mother would lend me her car to drive the short trip to the site, about 20 minutes, each day, or would take me there. I met someone once who had seen my name on the old transmitter logs. I think I only did this for a few weeks, and have no idea how much (little) the pay was. I would have done it for free.

What makes this relevant is that Ernie used to kiddingly joke with me about the way I had fixed the pattern to fall just short of Brooklyn. The existence of WQQW 1590 Waterbury CT was a major reason for Ernie's difficulty in hearing WERA. I think he did quite well in having heard them from that location. They basically pointed NW and SE and also nulled Chester PA.

Thanks to John C and all the other comments about Ernie's life. RIP, Ernie.John Sampson <jsampson@qwest.net>

I first met Ernie at the 1959 Omaha convention. While we lived in New Jersey in the 1960s, I was able to enjoy Ernie's company at several get-togethers (including the one Ben D. mentioned and one at Ernie's Brooklyn home) and then at some NRC conventions after we left NJ and he moved to Mass. Last time I saw Ernie was at the 1994 Nashua NRC Convention. I specifically remember his chasing WERA, it resisted but he finally caught it! He was an inspiration to a number of us (young at that time) DXers who joined the NRC during his Musings editorship and to echo the statements of all; he'll be missed!

Charles Hutton <mailto:chutton@netro-corp.com>I knew when I saw the subject line of Paul's email that it had to be really bad news, and it was. I'm a sad person right now after reading it all.

Ernie was Mr. NRC to me. When I got my first sample bulletin in '67 (?), there was Ernie running the Musings. I'm not sure when he started, but I believe he ended up with about a 40 year reign. I hope somebody will give him the retrospective that he deserves and fill in all the right dates.

I am not so sure it was just coincidence that over the weekend a small picture fell out of a book and I fetched it to find out that it was a picture Ernie had sent me of him, Joe Brauner, etc. from the 50's or 60's. I'm sorry I didn't get to see Ernie again. It had been too long since I had last seen him. The presence of the ghosts of club history and Ernie are really felt heavily right now.

I really do hope that we can get together and make some sort of memoriam to Ernie and put it on the NRC server. He was our Arthur Cushen, a real legend, and an era has passed. The old gentleman has ridden off into the sunset.

Mark Connelly <MarkWA1ION@aol.com>

I'm sorry to hear of the passing of a great DXer, Ernie Cooper. I was fortunate to have met him at several New England & NJ conventions from the '70s through the '90s. He also showed up at most of Ray Arruda's November "Lower Deck" get-togethers in Acushnet, MA over the years. The bound volumes of veries always got everyone's attention. Ernie was quite a conversationalist and provided a vital link to the early days of broadcasting and DXing. This was quite valuable to the younger DXers. I've been DXing since about 1960, but I didn't join the NRC until late 1972 or early 1973. Those were the heydays of Gordon Nelson, but Ernie's Musings column figured very prominently in DX News issues of those days as well. Some DXers chose to put loggings in their Muses in addition to, or instead of, sending them to IDXD and DDXD. So the Musings of that era had a lot of "meat" in them: today's, by no fault of the present editor, are a shadow of their former rich and varied content. The e- mail list has largely replaced the original function of Musings. Ernie's "April Fuel" contributions added humor and levity to a hobby that many, including myself, often pursued too seriously, too much like a job. He tolerated Bill Wurtzel's goofy poetry: that drew some flak from the Louisville publishers and others. He and companion Bob Stenger had a "Provincetown lifestyle" that bothered one or two members, notably Tom Farmerie. Against the occasional low-level controversies, most of us can look back at Ernie's life in the hobby as one well-lived. Beyond the sheer achievements of logging and confirming so many stations, there's the aspect of Ernie being a congenial and ever-helpful person who did not look down on, or deride, DXers of lesser skill and experience. Another memory I have is listening to his marching band show on WOMR-91.9 several times during running errands for my parents who lived in W. Yarmouth, MA. My mother showed me a Cape Cod Times with a photograph of Ernie at his receiver. The accompanying article mentioned all the foreign countries he heard as well as discussing his WOMR show. Though his health was already starting to falter in the mid '90s, Ernie showed up regularly at WOMR for his Saturday morning stint. I could hear the old voice get weaker as the years went by. Ernie gave up DXing, something as hard to imagine as a bird giving up flying. His annual Christmas newsletter told of failing health. The last time I spoke with him was on the phone from Ray Arruda's 2000 pre-Thanksgiving get together. He was too ill to make the 90-minute drive to Ray's. Shortly after that, he went into the nursing home. As someone who has seen the decline and passing of my parents, my wife's parents, and other relatives and friends, I know how difficult the last days of life can be. I do have faith that good people are rewarded and are reunited with loved ones who have gone before them. I am not so presumptuous as to think that only those of a specific faith or lifestyle have this opportunity. Heaven, or whatever you may wish to call it, should have some of the things a person enjoyed on earth. May Ernie have a room full of HQ-180A's, R-390A's, and R8B's awaiting his arrival. ERC R.I.P.

Pete Taylor <ptdx@att.net>

I met Ernie at the 1953 Wheeling convention. I was fairly new in the club at the time and was overwhelmed by the existence of all these other people participating in this quirky hobby. This was the only time I met him. I remembered that he certainly knew his call letters...

He was "Lefty" Cooper for ages but as I recalled he dropped that when the connotation became politically incorrect.

Mark Connolly's hope was "May Ernie have a room full of HQ-180A's, R-390A's, and R8B's awaiting his arrival." I would like to add one item: a typewriter. As far as I know he never got an electric. The last letter I received from him two years ago was really sad. He was losing his vision and was desperately trying to find a new ribbon for his old, old typewriter. I don't know if he ever succeeded.

He was loyal to the club, nurturing to new DXers and unrelenting in his pursuit of new catches. I hope he is enjoying a lot of great skywave receptions...

Wally Wawro <mailto:WWawro@wfaa.com>Probably the most memorable part of the DX News was Ernie's Musings column. And to have Ernie accept your letter for publication and perhaps even comment on something you'd written was always special.There have been several tributes in the group, no doubt the most eloquent from John Callarman. And oddly enough I spoke to John for the first time Sunday evening on the phone, concerning something club related. Synergy, I guess! (John lives about 60 miles from me).

Several years ago I was involved in a project locally re-recording audio airchecks made the weekend of November 22, 1963. Hearing the network and local Dallas radio news coverage of the events of the Kennedy assassination left quite an impression. It reminded me the importance of preserving history. With a number of radio stations celebrating their 80th anniversary, and the club looking at 70 years of existence, perhaps it would be worth considering some type of oral history project. Fred's DXAS has chronicled the last 15+ years of the NRC. The 50th anniversary book was an important milestone as well. But the success of the group is a product of the individuals who participate. And it should be obvious to all that there are stories to be told (2 million stories in the DX City?!?).

If the travel gods permit, I hope to attend my first convention in Lima this Labor Day.. If I'm there, I'll have my minidisc and a microphone just in case.After all, isn't our hobby all about listening?

Chuck Hutton <chutton1@qwest.net>

That's thoughtful and nicely written, Mark. It is impossible for me to imagine Ernie not DX'ing. I suppose he had little choice and just didn't feel up to it. It doesn't seem right that he didn't DX till the end, but so it goes.

I think I remember that arrangements were made so that a lot of Ernie's stuff (veries, memorabilia) would be preserved, hopefully in the hands of the NRC. I'd really like to hear that his stuff is in good hands. Does anybody know for sure that arrangements were made? I'd dearly love to digitize a lot of his collection and capture some of the magic that was part of his NRC "career".

Harry Helms <ak6c@earthlink.net>

Actually, Ernie was a big Mets fan and I recall he went to at least a couple of opening days at Shea before he moved to Provincetown.

You are right about Ernie being the sprite as well. Remember how he morphed into "Hefty Blooper" around April 1 each year? And his anagrams from station call letters, like "As they say in Warsaw, Indiana, WNMM---we need more Musings!"

Bruce Conti <BACONTI@aol.com>

Strange coincidence; there was a feature about 92.1 WOMR Provincetown on the WCVB TV Chronicle program this evening. WOMR Outer-Most Radio was the station where Ernie Cooper was on the air with marching band music every Saturday morning. To Ernie, 73 and Forward March!

I hope his verie collection will be preserved and documented by the NRC or CPRV.

Bruce Winkelman <bdwink@cox.net>

Truly a sad day for the NRC. We have lost a true NRC and BCB DX legend. Paul S., can we dedicate the rest of this DX News volume to Ernie or find a way to honor him? If anyone deserves a DX News/NRC "memorial", it's Mr. Cooper. Let's hope there's an HQ180A in heaven for Ernie to use!

Eric Loy <eloy@wdws.com>

Many NRCers were lucky enough to talk to Ernie early in the AM, I certainly remember him being very kind and patient to a teenager calling from Central Illinois. It was great eating pizza with him at a Louisville NRC convention.

R.I.P. ERC (except for the nighttime DX sessions of course, as I imagine there's no static there)

Doug Smith W9WI <w9wi@w9wi.com>

Ouch. I've never had the pleasure of meeting Ernie.

I almost feel I know him as a result of his frequent musings and other contributions to DX News though. He's certainly one of the most influential members - and one about whom I've never heard a bad word spoken.

The hobby can't afford to lose members like this. Unfortunately that's beyond our control...

Marc DeLorenzo <MarstonsMarc@aol.com>

I'm not as eloquent as some of you, but I too knew Ernie and I would like to echo the sentiments expressed by Helms, Edmunds, Hutton, Dangerfield, Callarman and others by simply stating that ERC was quite a guy and he will be missed - Forward March!

Ron Gitschier <RGITSCHIER@doyle.navy.mil>

From even before these sad announcements I knew that this fellow was definitely someone I should meet! Radio indeed must have been in his blood.

David Hochfelder <hochfeld@rci.rutgers.edu>

Although I'm a relative newcomer to the club and didn't know him personally, let me also register my regrets and condolences to those who knew him. Since he was such a big influence on the club and hobby, how about establishing an NRC award in his name, given for lifetime service to the club and/or hobby?

Harry Helms <ak6c@earthlink.net>

You know what would be a good tribute to Ernie? Let's all send in a Musing in which we recall some of our memories of ERC and recognize his contributions to NRC and the DXing hobby. Everyone "send in a musing for Ernie" one last time!

Saul Chernos <schernos@yahoo.com>

I am indeed sorry to learn that Ernie Cooper is gone. But he's obviously not going to be forgotten. Count me among those who was inspired by contributions he made to DX clubs -- in my case, the WTFDA. I also remember him referring to WOMR as Old Man Radio, and his enthusiasm for big band music and community radio. The Provincetown newspaper obituary said he was a member of the NRC since 1940 (or as they put it, "the 'DX'ers,' a national radio club"). I think it can be safely said that if it weren't for DXers like Ernie, whose enthusiasm was catchy even through the pages of a club bulletin, we wouldn't have much interest in the hobby. I'm bowled over by the huge number of people sharing their remembrances over the various DX lists I subscribe to. Ernie, you obviously touched a lot of people, and you contributed greatly to a collective joy. Rest well, friend.

Wally Wawro <WWawro@wfaa.com>Fred has posted the audio of an interview John Callarman conducted with Ernie Cooper at the 1959 convention.

http://www.nrcdxas.org/mp3

There's a wealth of other material on the tape John gave me. I'm doing some audio restoration on it and hopefully it will be the start of a sort of historic audio collection.