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Joseph J. 'Joe' Schroeder Glenview, IL QCWA # 11568 Chapter 2 |
Joseph J. Schroeder Jr. was a student at New Trier High School during the war when a neighbor who was a radio operator in the Merchant Marine told him that if he took the school´s course in radio code, he´d "never carry a rifle."
Mr. Schroeder went on to pass both the class and the amateur radio exam, and at 16 received his call sign, W9JUV, which over the next 67 years would become legendary in ham radio circles.
The longtime Glenview resident was recently named by the National Association for Amateur Radio´s QST magazine as one of the top three radio amateurs, having made contact with fellow radio operators in 394 designated geographic locations, known as DXCC entities, around the world.
Mr. Schroeder had missed only seven entities, all of which have since been deleted from the official list: Tibet, Damao and Diu, French Indo-China, French India, Java, Netherlands Borneo, and Celebe and Molucca.
"There´s hundreds, probably thousands, of people from around the planet that he´s spoken with, made connections with . some multiple times . but has never actually met face to face," said his son, Brad.
Mr. Schroeder, 83, a member of the editorial staff at Ham Radio magazine for many years, died Tuesday, April 30 in the hospice wing of Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview. He had been diagnosed three months ago with myelodysplastic syndrome, also known as MDS.
A man of many interests, Mr. Schroeder was an editor and author of books including "The Wonderful World of Ladies´ Fashion: 1850-1920" and all five editions of "Gun Collector´s Digest." He also was a private pilot and member of the Civil Air Patrol. He was in the Navy Reserve for 11 years.
"I met a lot of interesting people over the course of my career . kings and queens, state officials, spacemen, scientists and regular Joes, but Joe Schroeder was one of a kind," said longtime friend Charlie Boyle, a retired photojournalist with NBC News in Chicago and fellow "ham."
For decades, Mr. Schroeder participated in competitions in Curacao, an island in the Caribbean, where ham radio operators from around the world gather each year.
"It´s a ham radio nerd´s paradise," said his son with a laugh. "It´s where he´d go to be in his element, to feel the camaraderie of those who loved doing what he did. It was online chatting before online chatting, plus there´s the bonus of a warm human voice at the other end."
Within a few months of getting his license in 1946, Mr. Schroeder, who grew up in Wilmette, had 50 confirmed contacts around the world. In August 1947, he began to run phone patches for GI friends in Japan and others overseas who had families in the Chicago area, according to a profile in the May 2013 issue of QST.
After graduating from New Trier in 1948, and from Lawrence College in Appleton, Wis., in 1953, where he majored in geology, Mr. Schroeder worked as an electrical engineer at Motorola from 1953 to 1960. During that time, he received his private pilot´s license and flew to Alaska in a single-engine Cessna.
"He loved flying," said his son. "He would have probably spent more time in the air if weren´t for all his other interests. He was always doing 50 things at once."
After leaving Motorola, Mr. Schroeder worked as a manufacturer´s representative for four years, then as a sales manager for two years and finally as a trade magazine managing editor for a year, before going into business for himself in 1967 as a marketing and engineering consultant.
Mr. Schroeder was on the Ham Radio magazine staff from 1974 to 1990, writing about 400 articles. He also was the founding editor of HR Report, a newsletter published by Ham Radio.
"I remember as a child watching him on his ham radio and trying to listen in," said his daughter, Elizabeth Anderluh. "I thought it was so cool."
His interest in firearms began at the age of 10 when he learned to shoot a .22 caliber rifle at summer camp. He continued target shooting in high school and began collecting guns, ranging from Civil War carbines to WW2 weapons.
Mr. Schroeder collaborated on a book on an 1896 self-loading Mauser pistol in the 1960s that caught the attention of the publisher of Gun Digest, who hired him as a freelance editor with Digest Publications. Mr. Schroeder edited and wrote more than two dozen books for Digest Publications and later founded Handgun Press, which published firearms books oriented toward collectors and researchers.
"He was an accomplished pilot, writer, editor and engineer," Boyle said. "But what many will remember him for is his handle W9JUV. He was one of the best ham radio operators in the world."
Other survivors include his wife of 55 years, Janet; and two grandchildren.
A memorial service is being planned.
CREDITS
Obituary/biography: Chicago Tribune
Photo #1: Chicago Tribune