By all means, buy and read "200 Meters and Down." A book still in print and
read 80 years later is very special.
The author, Clinton B. DeSoto, born in 1912 in Ogilvie, Minnesota, was
licensed as W9KL (when there were only nine U.S. call areas). While a
journalism student at the University of Wisconsin he wrote "The History of
Amateur Radio" as a thesis for a master's degree. At the height of the
Great Depression he shared the paper with management at the ARRL, resulting
in a job offer from them, which he accepted. He became W1CBD.
ARRL published DeSoto's work under the title "200 Meters and Down" in 1936
and it's been available ever since. DeSoto stayed at ARRL Headquarters
through World War II. As HQ staff joined the military, DeSoto became editor
of QST for a time. He wrote the QST article which pretty much laid out the
DXCC award structure to come.
DeSoto went to work for the Institute of Radio Engineers in 1946 as
technical editor of the Proceedings of the IRE. He died the next year, in
1947, at only about 35 years old. The IRE's report does not mention cause
of death.
I first read "200 Meters and Down" in 1972. Twenty years later, when the
veil had been lifted from my eyes, I read it again, and understood how
DeSoto's original work had been "augmented" by the ARRL.
On page 10 of October 1936 QST, ARRL's editorial makes a cursory mention of
the new book and it's well worth reading. DeSoto is referred to only as
"DeSoto," not by his full name. After all, he was only a writer.
Clint, you ROCKED!
Jim Cain, K1TN
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