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Richard 'Dick' Baldwin Damariscotta, ME QCWA # 4334 Chapter 134 |
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Richard "Dick" Baldwin, 92, of Damariscotta, ME and formerly of Simsbury, CT, died June 21, 2012 at Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta, in the presence of his wife and daughter, after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease.
Born in Pensacola, FL, the son of Grace Conner and Grover Cleveland Baldwin, Dick moved to Oakville, CT in 1921 and graduated from The Taft School in Watertown, Bates College in 1947 with a BS in physics, and Boston University in 1948 with a Master's in physics. He enlisted in the Naval Communications Reserve in 1937 and was called to active duty in July 1941. He received his commission as ensign in May 1942 and served as communications officer aboard the destroyers USS Coghlan and USS Shields, participating in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands in March 1943. He continued to serve in the Naval Reserve after the war, achieving the rank of Commander.
Dick's whole life revolved around telecommunications. He earned his first amateur radio license, W1IKE, in 1934, later becoming W1RU in the 1960s. Dick took a job as assistant secretary at the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), then located in West Hartford, in 1948 and with the exception of four years as an engineer at Motorola in the early 1950's he remained at ARRL (now located in Newington) until his retirement in 1982, being named Managing Editor of QST Magazine in 1956, Assistant General Manager in 1963, and General Manager in 1975.
Dick became involved in the international promotion of amateur radio early in his career, and his work took him to all continents except Antarctica. He played a key role in planning and implementing a successful strategy for expanding the radio frequency allocations for amateur radio at the International Telecommunication Union's 1979 World Administrative Radio Conference. While the effort required his personal time and devotion over a 15-year period, with characteristic humility he described the success as "the result of superb teamwork on the part of a number of enthusiastic and devoted people."
Upon retirement Dick and his wife Phyllis moved to Bremen, ME. He continued his international leadership of amateur radio as a volunteer, serving for 17 years as president of the International Amateur Radio Union, and in 1999 was named President Emeritus.
Amateur radio was not Dick's only passion. He loved Dixieland jazz, astronomy, and sailing in his 35 foot ketch Endurance, named in honor of his hero Sir Ernest Shackleton.
Dick leaves his loving wife of 63 years and devoted life partner Phyllis Smith Baldwin of Damariscotta; a daughter, Judy Baldwin of Montpelier, VT; a son, Glenn Baldwin of Bowdoinham, ME; brother-in-law George Billias of Worcester, MA; and cousins, nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his sister Joyce Billias and brother Stephen Baldwin.
A Memorial service to Celebrate the Life of Dick Baldwin will be held at the Second Congregational Church, Newcastle, ME, on Friday, June 29 at 11 am In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the ARRL Second Century Fund c/o ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111 or to the Maine Woodcarver's Association c/o Barbara McCutcheon, Treasurer, 13 Liberty St, Fairfield, ME 04937
Richard 'Dick' Baldwin, W1RU, of Damariscotta, Maine, passed away on Thursday, June 21, after a long struggle with Parkinson's Disease. He was 92. An ARRL Charter Life Member, Baldwin capped a long career on the ARRL staff with service as General Manager from 1975 until his retirement in 1982. He served as Secretary of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) from 1976-1982. After retirement, he continued his involvement as a volunteer, serving as IARU President from 1982-1999 and as ARRL International Affairs Vice President from 1982-1986.
According to his daughter Judy, Baldwin's life revolved around telecommunications. He first became licensed in 1934 as W1IKE. An Amateur Extra class licensee, he earned DXCC, WAS and WAC, as well as membership in the ARRL A-1 Operator Club. A graduate of Bates College in Maine, he earned an MS in Physics from Boston University in 1948. Baldwin spent five years in the US Navy during World War II. In March 1943, while serving as Communications Officer aboard the USS Coghlan, he participated in the longest American naval daylight battle of the war: the Battle of the Komandorski Islands. After the war he served in the US Naval Reserve, achieving the rank of Commander.
Baldwin began his career at ARRL Headquarters in 1948 as an Assistant Secretary. After a brief hiatus to work in the private sector in the early 1950s, he returned in 1956 as Managing Editor of QST, where he was responsible for production of the monthly member journal and all ARRL publications. In 1963, Baldwin became Assistant General Manager and almost immediately got involved with international matters. Dick organized the Intruder Watch one year later, and served as the ARRL Liaison between the amateurs who monitored the bands and the FCC. He was named by the ARRL Board to succeed John Huntoon, W1RW, on Huntoon's retirement as General Manager, the position now titled Chief Executive Officer, in 1975. In total, Baldwin wrote 234 articles and columns for QST.
ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, who succeeded Baldwin as General Manager in 1982, observes that Dick is responsible for much of Amateur Radio's success in retaining and expanding its international frequency allocations. "Beginning in 1964, strengthening our position at the International Telecommunication Union in preparation for what ultimately became the 1979 World Administrative Radio Conference, was a major preoccupation in Dick's life. He played a key role in developing and implementing the strategy that led to success. Sitting at Dick's elbow in the years leading up to WARC-79 was an extraordinary learning experience for which I will always be grateful."
As IARU President, Baldwin led the development and adoption of a new IARU Constitution and oversaw the continued strengthening of the IARU as the spokesman for Amateur Radio at the ITU and in regional telecommunications organizations. In 1999, he was named IARU President Emeritus for his service to the IARU and the Amateur Radio Service.
"I was saddened to hear of the passing of IARU President Emeritus Richard Baldwin," said IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH. "Dick was instrumental in securing new HF allocations at 10, 18 and 24 MHz during WARC-79. He was a key figure in the work of the IARU, and the Amateur Radio Service is in a better place today because of his leadership."
Upon his retirement in 1982, Baldwin and his wife Phyllis moved to Maine where he became immersed in the local community. He was active in the Pen Bay Amateur Radio Club, the Bremen Historical Society and the Bremen Fire Department. He was also the Past President of the Maine Wood Carvers Association. Baldwin was a fan of Dixieland jazz -- particularly the music of Louis Armstrong -- astronomy and sailing. Sailing in his 35 foot ketch Endurance, named in honor of his hero Sir Ernest Shackleton, he taught himself how to navigate using a sextant. Baldwin also climbed Mt Katahdin many times.
In 1991, Baldwin received the Hall of Fame Award from the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA). In 1992, he was named the Dayton Hamvention Amateur of the Year. In 2003, he was inducted into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame.
Baldwin is survived by his wife Phyllis, daughter Judy and son Glenn. A memorial service is planned for 11 AM Friday, June 29 at Second Congregational Church in Newcastle, Maine.
I met Dick Balwin when he was still W1IKE in 1963, when he led a group of boy scouts on a visitor's tour of the the USS Tusk SS-426 when I was a radioman. I ALWAYS volunteered for visitors tours (you had to/got to stand BELOW the "ladder" that the visitors, including women, had to climb down!).
Thru Dick the following week at ARRL HQ, I met with him and John Huntoon to get an FCC rules changed; as I very vaguely recall, it had something to do with us not being able to run phone patches/third party traffic on 80 and 40 meters when we were inside the 3 mile limit (but we could as /MM outside that statutory limit), and we spend a lot of time in Long Island sound, as school boat for the Sub School. I remember Huntoon started an explanation of why that rule existed, and I remember Dick being very inquisitive and he got Huntoon to talk extensively about his memories of the 1934 meeting at which those rules had been developed, and Dick took copious notes - more than two hours of Huntoon's history.
Barry, W5GN
